Where is the thyroid located?
What are the parts of the thyroid?
Right and left lobes and isthmus
What anatomical variants of the thyroid gland are there?
Pyramidal lobe
What is a pyramidal lobe? How often does it occur?
A superior sliver of thyroid tissue arising from the isthmus, “3rd lobe”
Occurs in up to 30% of pop
What kind of cells compose the thyroid gland?
Follicular and parafollicular cells
What size is the normal thyroid? (Length, AP, width)
Length: adult 4-6 cm, ped 2-3 cm
AP: adult 2-3 cm, ped 1.2-1.5 cm
Width: adult 1.5-2cm, ped 1-1.5 cm
What is considered an enlarged thyroid?
Isthmus > 1 cm
AP > 2 cm
What muscles are anterior to the thyroid?
What muscle is anterolateral to the thyroid?
Sternocleidomastoids
What vessels are lateral to the thyroid?
Common carotid artery and internal jugular vein
What structure is posterior to the thyroid?
Parathyroid glands
What muscle is posterolateral to the thyroid?
Longus colli
What structures are medial to the thyroid?
Trachea and esophagus
What supplies the thyroid gland?
Superior thyroid artery: branch of ECA, descends to supply superior portion of thyroid
Inferior thyroid artery: branch of thyrocervical trunk, ascends to supply inferior portion of thyroid
What drains the thyroid?
What 3 hormones are secreted by the thyroid gland?
What is TSH?
Thyroid stimulating hormone: controlled by pituitary gland
Controls hormone secretion from thyroid
What is TRH?
Thyrotropin releasing hormone: controlled by hypothalamus
Regulates secretion of TSH
What do thyroid follicular cells do?
They are the only cells that absorb iodine
How are thyroid hormones produced?
Through iodine metabolism
What is the process that occurs for thyroid hormones to be secreted?
When does TSH stop being released?
When thyroid hormones return to normal and basal metabolic rate is normal
What lab values are we looking at?
What nuclear medicine tests are used for the thyroid?
Scintigraphy: iodine uptake scan and thyroid scan