What does thyroid ultrasound do?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Le Anh Viet - Radiologist - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital.
Thyroid diseases cause many troubles as well as dangerous complications for patients if not detected and treated promptly. Thyroid ultrasound is one of the techniques to help diagnose thyroid diseases. So what is a thyroid ultrasound? What does thyroid ultrasound do? The following articles will address these issues.

1. What is a thyroid ultrasound?

Thyroid ultrasound is a diagnostic method that uses thyroid imaging to find abnormalities or pathologies in the thyroid gland, the images are reflected using sound waves similar to conventional ultrasounds.
During thyroid ultrasound, the patient is instructed to lie on his or her back or tilt the head to the left or right. The doctor will use a special gel to apply to the patient's neck area where the ultrasound is needed. The function of the gel in thyroid ultrasound is to bring the transducer in safe contact with the body while eliminating sound-blocking agents such as tiny air sacs. The probe is placed directly on the skin of the neck through the gel layer and moves back and forth to obtain images of the thyroid area.

2. When does the doctor order an ultrasound of the thyroid?

Thyroid ultrasound or neck ultrasound is often prescribed by clinicians when patients have signs of suspected thyroid or parathyroid disease, typically
Goiter, Basedow, enlarged lymph nodes or regional tumors neck
Neck pain, acute and chronic thyroiditis.
● Unexplained weight loss, intellectual disability
● Neck injury or general health check.

3. What is the use of thyroid ultrasound?

As is known, the thyroid gland produces a number of thyroid hormones, which regulate body activities such as regulating heart rate. According to some studies, about 5 to 10 people out of every 100 adults will have thyroid tumors or nodules, which doctors can detect these conditions through thyroid ultrasound during routine exams.
Thyroid ultrasound is a relatively sensitive method and detects thyroid nodules as well as abnormalities that cannot be detected through clinical examination. In addition, thyroid ultrasound also has the following effects
Classifying and identifying mass structures (solid, cocoon, mixed) in the thyroid gland
Determining whether the tumor is inside or outside the thyroid gland
Assess some adjacent structures of the thyroid gland
Find the causes when the patient has hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
Evaluate and check for complications after neck surgery such as edema, abscess
Thyroid ultrasound also allows preliminary identification of thyroid nodule in case of multinodular goiter

4. Is Thyroid Ultrasound Harmful?

To date there have been no reports or complications reported from thyroid ultrasound. Thus, this technique is relatively easy to perform and safe for the patient.

5. What should the patient prepare for the thyroid ultrasound?

Normally, patients do not need to fast or do any special preparation before the thyroid ultrasound, but to make the thyroid ultrasound process go smoothly, the patient can wear a shirt with a wide neck area.
Vinmec International General Hospital is equipped with modern and advanced equipment and a team of leading experts with high expertise. The hospital now has an effective screening package for thyroid diseases, helping to check thyroid function, screening & early detection of common thyroid diseases such as simple goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, ... so that appropriate and timely treatment measures can be taken.
Master Doctor Le Anh Viet has 07 years of experience working in the field of diagnostic imaging, performing well in diagnostic imaging techniques. Currently, the doctor is working at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec International General Hospital nationwide for examination or contact the hotline HERE for support.