Morphometric features of the fetal thyroid gland: ultrasound examination findings

The article discusses features of morphometric parameters of the thyroid gland based on results of ultrasound examination. The need to study development of the thyroid gland in the fetus is due to the high prevalence of thyroid pathology and the possibility of its early prenatal diagnostics. The aim of the study was to characterize morphometric parameters of the fetal thyroid gland at 20–24 weeks of gestation using ultrasound examination. Material and methods. In the study the thyroid glands of 70 fetuses, both male and female, at the age of 20-24 weeks, were exposed to ultrasound examination. During ultrasound examination, the authors evaluated linear parameters, an organ perimeter, thyroid volume, and growth rate. Results. Ultrasound examination of fetuses aged 20–24 weeks demonstrated that all anatomical structures of the thyroid gland were well visualized on the images. The period from the 20th to the 24th week of the fetal intrauterine development was accompanied by an increase in the studied parameters of the thyroid gland, the growth intensity ranged from 3% (width of the left lobe) to 37% (thyroid volume). In female fetuses, the lobe sizes of the thyroid gland and the index of the thyroid volume prevailed. This period was also characterized by a low (up to 14%) growth intensity of certain linear parameters in male and female fetuses in different age subgroups. Conclusion. Starting from the 20th week of intrauterine development, ultrasound examination allows detecting features of the topography, quantitative anatomy and growth intensity of the fetal thyroid gland. The data obtained evidence the possibility of assessing the state of the thyroid gland during ultrasound screening of a fetus.