Sonographic Assessment of Congenitally Hypothyroid Children in Iran

Introduction: Considering the high prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in Isfahan, it seems that it is necessary to investigate the aetiology of the disorder and its related factors. The aim of this study was to determine the aetiology of CH among children in Isfahan province.

Material And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the aetiology of CH and the volume of the thyroid was assessed using neck ultrasonography. The results of thyroid function screening tests were additionally recorded. The correlation between ultrasonographic findings and the level of TSH and as well as T4 was determined.

Results: During this study 385 CH patients aged 0-3 years were studied. According to ultrasonographic findings, in 19.9% of patients the aetiology of CH was dysgenesis (agenesis, ectopy, and hemiagenesis) and 80.1% had normal thyroid. Mean thyroid gland volume in all studied patients was 0.78 ± 0.44 mL. The prevalence of ultrasonographic findings was as follows: normal 80.1%, agenesis 12.7%, hemiagenesis 5.8%, and ectopy 1.4%. There was a significant correlation between thyroid volume and TSH and T4 and as well as between TSH and ultrasonographic findings (p 〈 0.05).

Conclusions: In spite of the limitations of ultrasonography in the field of determining the aetiology of CH, it is an appropriate imaging tool for determining the volume of the thyroid gland in children. Considering that the rate of goitrous gland was low, it seems that iodine deficiency could not be responsible for the high rate of CH in this region.