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Does thyroid gland examination by palpation alter serum hormone levels?
Author(s) -
Toros Sema Zer,
Ozel Leyla,
Yekrek Mehmet Murat,
Toros Ahmet Burak,
Naiboglu Barıs,
Kara Melih,
Erdoğdu Erdal,
Egeli Erol,
Titiz İzzet
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.20959
Subject(s) - palpation , thyroid , medicine , hormone , thyroglobulin , endocrinology , surgery
Objectives/Hypothesis: The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of routine thyroid gland palpation on serum thyroid hormone levels. Study Design: Prospective study at Haydarpaşa Numune Research and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: This study was carried out in two groups with a total of 50 consecutive adults. Group I consisted of 20 patients (12 female and 8 male, aged 20–48 years) with a diagnosis of nodular thyroid disease confirmed by ultrasound imaging techniques. The second group consisted of 30 otherwise healthy subjects (17 female and 13 male, aged 18–50 years) referred for neck and thyroid ultrasound and with no thyroid pathology detected. Thyroid gland palpations were performed by the same physician. Blood samples were obtained before and 2 hours after thyroid gland palpation. Serum total T3 (TT3), total T4 (TT4), free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroglobulin (TG) measurements were made. Results: We found that routine palpation in the first group caused a significant increase in serum TT3 ( P < .05), FT3 ( P < .01), FT4 ( P < .05), and TG ( P < .05) levels. In the second group, TT3 ( P < .01), FT3 ( P < .05), FT4 ( P < .05), and TG ( P < .05) levels also increased significantly after palpation. Differences in TSH and TT4 levels were not significant in any of the groups ( P > .05). Conclusions: Preliminary data proposing a possible effect of routine thyroid gland palpation on serum thyroid hormone levels suggest that serum thyroid hormone measurements should be performed before any manipulation of the gland, including palpation, to avoid misdiagnosis. Laryngoscope, 2010