A review of sonographic thyroid volume and iodine sufficiency in children: An Australian perspective

Abstract

Sonographic measurement of the thyroid gland volume is a safe and reliable method for epidemiologic studies in iodine deficiency disorders. Several factors such as age, sex and anthropometric characteristics are known to be the determinants of thyroid gland size but the most widely studied is the effect of insufficient iodine intake. Low iodine intake induces enlargement of the thyroid gland known as goitre. The assessment of urinary iodine concentration alone is not reliable as it can vary daily within individuals. Urinary iodine concentration in conjunction with sonographic thyroid gland measurements is a widely used method of thyroid gland assessment. Establishment of normative thyroid volume is essential for the assessment of iodine deficiency disorders, and studies have been conducted in several countries. These studies have shown that thyroid gland volumes are likely population-specific even in iodine-sufficient countries limiting the effectiveness of international reference ranges. Based on currently available data of sonographic thyroid gland volume measurements and how they vary across populations of school children, this review argues for the establishment of population-specific reference ranges in regions such as Australia, which are now considered iodine-sufficient. (© 2019 Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine.)eCollection. Cited Medium: Print. NLM ISO Abbr: Australas J Ultrasound Med. PubMed Central ID: PMC8411731. Linked References: Acta Paediatr Scand. 1989 Jul;78(4):633-4. (PMID: 2782081); Int J Endocrinol. 2012;2012:387971. (PMID: 22675351); Eur J Endocrinol. 2001 Jun;144(6):595-603. (PMID: 11375793); Niger J Clin Pract. 2012 Jul-Sep;15(3):285-92. (PMID: 22960962); Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1986 Aug;112(4):494-501. (PMID: 3529785); Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Dec;56(12):1169-75. (PMID: 12494301); Acta Paediatr Jpn. 1989 Jun;31(3):352-4. (PMID: 2508431); Endocr Pract. 2004 Sep-Oct;10(5):409-16. (PMID: 15760788); J Clin Ultrasound. 2002 May;30(4):226-31. (PMID: 11981932); J Endocrinol Invest. 2001 Nov;24(10):756-62. (PMID: 11765044); Eur J Endocrinol. 1999 Jan;140(1):104-6. (PMID: 10037259); Med J Aust. 2006 Feb 20;184(4):165-9. (PMID: 16489900); Med J Aust. 2003 Feb 17;178(4):159-62. (PMID: 12580741); J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1994 Aug;79(2):600-3. (PMID: 8045982); J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Jan;26(1):56-60. (PMID: 12602535); J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997 Apr;82(4):1136-9. (PMID: 9100585); Eur J Endocrinol. 1999 Apr;140(4):328-31. (PMID: 10097252); Thyroid. 2007 Feb;17(2):145-55. (PMID: 17316117); Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2001;10(3):200-3. (PMID: 11708309); Med J Aust. 2003 Oct 6;179(7):346-8. (PMID: 14503896); J Clin Ultrasound. 1990 Jul-Aug;18(6):455-62. (PMID: 2162852); Adv Biomed Res. 2014 Jan 09;3:9. (PMID: 24600596); Eur J Endocrinol. 1999 Jun;140(6):498-504. (PMID: 10366405); Eur J Endocrinol. 1999 Jun;140(6):491-7. (PMID: 10366404); Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;64(11):1289-95. (PMID: 20736968); Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;79(2):231-7. (PMID: 14749228); Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1981 Oct 9;106(41):1338-40. (PMID: 7274082); Thyroid. 2004 Feb;14(2):113-20. (PMID: 15068625); Ann Trop Paediatr. 2002 Dec;22(4):375-9. (PMID: 12530288); Med J Aust. 2018 Feb 19;208(3):126. (PMID: 29438647); J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2015 Jun;7(2):98-101. (PMID: 26316430); Thyroid. 2004 Jul;14(7):536-43. (PMID: 15307944); J Res Med Sci. 2015 Nov;20(11):1070-6. (PMID: 26941811); Eur J Endocrinol. 2000 Jun;142(6):599-603. (PMID: 10822222); J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Oct;26(10):991-6. (PMID: 14759072); Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 1997;105 Suppl 4:46-50. (PMID: 9439915); Eur J Endocrinol. 1997 Feb;136(2):180-7. (PMID: 9116913); J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 May;89(5):2071-7. (PMID: 15126523); Bull World Health Organ. 1997;75(2):95-7. (PMID: 9185360). Linking ISSN: 18366864. Subset: PubMed not MEDLINE; Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Nov 01. Current Imprints: Publication: [Chatswood, NSW] : Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine; Original Imprints: Publication: Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Australasian Journal in Medicine (ASUM), 2009- <br />