Thyroid isthmus thickness in prepubertal healthy children in an iodine-sufficient region.

ABSTRACT

The study presented the reference values for thyroid isthmus thickness in prepubertal healthy children. Ultrasound evaluation of the isthmus seems to be very useful in the diagnostic process and monitoring of thyroid diseases, especially the diffuse ones. The authors are not aware of the existence of any other publications on reference values of isthmus depth in children population. In our study, we evaluated isthmus thickness in a healthy population of prepubertal children from a seaside region. A total of 402 healthy children (214 boys and 188 girls) aged 7-12 years, underwent ultrasound examinations of the thyroid. We propose the following maximum values for isthmus depth from 2.6 mm for boys at the age of 7-9 years to 3.3 mm for those aged 10-12 years and from 2.7 mm to 3.5 mm for girls, respectively.