Disorders of the thyroid gland, which accompanied by the formation therein of nodes may be of different nature. This may be an inflammatory or autoimmune process, tumor or growth of breast tissue deficiency of iodine. In order to clarify the diagnosis, a biopsy site.

What is the fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) thyroid nodule

Manipulation is the introduction of a special fine needle biopsy of the thyroid gland in the assembly floor control of the ultrasound beam (ultrasonic) and fence (aspiration) site content for laboratory examination.

Indications for thyroid FNA under ultrasound thyroid nodules are of different sizes, structure and uniformity of size greater than 1 cm in diameter. The high risk of degeneration of the site into a malignant tumor by the following factors: the existence of nodes in the thyroid gland in men (nodes in men is rare, but most are reborn), children, youth and old age, previous radiation therapy to the head and neck, unit for more than 3 5 cm in diameter, long flowing inflammatory diseases and tumors of the reproductive organs and breast in women, after the re-development of sites already carried out the operation, a genetic predisposition to diseases of the thyroid gland.

Contraindicated holding TAB with significant violations of blood clotting and blood vessel permeability, mental illness Mental illness - ashamed to ask for help?   and refusal by the patient manipulation.

How is the TAB

Under ultrasound guidance the doctor spends Pierce thyroid fine needle connected to the empty syringe and injects it into a knot. Thereafter, he sucks (aspirates) the syringe fluid and cells from the node removes the needle from the syringe causes the contents on the slide. For greater reliability studies are sometimes held several punctures.

It is painless manipulation, which only takes a few minutes and does not require anesthesia, but particularly sensitive patients may conduct local anesthesia. As a rule, no complications after the biopsy does not arise only minor bruises (and even then not always), who are alone. To place on the skin where the biopsy was performed, adhered sterile gauze bandage for two hours, after which the patient can take a shower. Within minutes after the TAB patient can leave the doctor's office.

Laboratory examination of the contents of thyroid nodules

Laboratory examination of fluid and cells from using FNA of the node in the thyroid gland, to distinguish benign from malignant processes that require completely different treatment strategies.

The resulting punctate deposited on a glass slide is sent to a laboratory where it is first stained and then examined under a microscope, cell composition. On the basis of this study provide a conclusion on the nature of the site. If punctate for research is insufficient (that is, if it does not contain the required number of cells), he admits misleading research.

On the benign nature of the site says the conclusion of "colloidal assembly." Discovered by microscopy the cells can be malignant, then the conclusion is indicated to which type of tumor they relate. Sometimes punctate found signs of inflammation - this indicates that the punctate was taken from the site of the inflammatory tissue, similar to the assembly.

Sometimes a laboratory test can not confirm or deny the presence of cancer cells Malignant tumor: cells are mad . This occurs at a so-called follicular tumors that can carry and benign and malignant nature, while having similar cells.

Reliability cytology is high, but not absolute, since cancer cells can only be in one certain place assembly, and sometimes reveal them is not possible.

In this case, if the results of a biopsy performed the operation, the surgeon at the operating table determines the amount of surgery. It removes node sends him on an urgent histological (tissue) and waits for the result of the study, while the patient is on the operating table, and then ends the operation (if the node is benign), or removes all thyroid along with nearby lymph nodes.

As soon as possible to identify the nodes in the thyroid gland The thyroid gland - is responsible for your hormones   and fully examine then the patient should be as easy to remove nodes that tend to degenerate into a malignant tumor, than to treat thyroid cancer later Thyroid cancer: it is curable . A cancer of any organ is much easier to treat in the early stages.

Galina Romanenko

Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland - is its congenital hypoplasia, which is accompanied by a decrease in thyroid function. The lack of thyroid hormones in the blood gradually cause irreversible damage in many organs and systems. But most of all affected bone system and the brain. Warn such violations can only be the case if the child immediately after birth will be assigned replacement therapy.

Why hypoplastic thyroid treatment should be administered as soon as possible

Prolonged deficiency of thyroid hormones (thyroxine - T4 and triiodothyronine - T3), which arose during the prenatal development of the child Prenatal development of the child: Week by Week It leads to the development of irreversible changes in the brain and the peripheral nervous system by reducing the number of nerve cells and myelin disorders coatings nerve trunks. This most often affects vision and hearing centers in the brain and cerebellum. In addition, the shortage of thyroid hormones reduces the amount of neurotransmitter (biologically active substances, which is transmitted via nerve stimulation) and receptor sensitive to them, which further inhibits the function of the central and peripheral nervous system.

And if during fetal development more than half of the needs of hormones in the thyroid hormones is covered by the mother after birth, the child receives only a small amount of hormones from the mother's milk and then, if he is breastfed. There is no bottle-and such an insignificant source of the hormone.

Without thyroid hormone disorders in the brain are progressing very quickly and the three-four months of age are irreversible. But if before the age of hypoplasia of the thyroid gland was identified and assigned adequate replacement therapy, the child gets a chance to grow and develop normally.

How to detect hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in newborns

During pregnancy reveal hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in the fetus is difficult. And since this pathology is not uncommon, especially in regions where there is a deficiency of iodine in water and food, all newborns in the third - the fifth day of life held a screening blood tests to rule out low thyroid function (hypothyroidism). Examine the blood levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone pituitary (TSH) - their high content of talk about reducing the function of the thyroid gland and is a cause for further examination of the child and establish the exact cause of this phenomenon.

Sometimes together with TSH explore and content of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). Reducing its content while increasing the index of TSH with even greater certainty indicates the presence of hypothyroidism.

How to treat thyroid hypoplasia

Treatment of thyroid hypoplasia is the earliest possible start of the hubbub of thyroid replacement therapy. For this purpose, the most commonly prescribed L-thyroxine, but in some cases, after a complete examination of the baby is sometimes prescribed combination preparations containing both thyroid hormone Thyroid hormones: mechanism of action and physiological effects   (T3 and T4) - tireotom or Thyreocombum.

In order to restore the state of tissue of the central and peripheral nervous systems, babies appoint a L-thyroxine dose which is chosen child individually in accordance with its status, the degree of hypoplasia of the thyroid gland, and laboratory parameters. Sometimes a child is enough minimum daily dose for a month to restore normal levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.

But in severe hypoplasia of the thyroid gland to restore the normal content of thyroid hormones in the blood is sometimes necessary to increase the doses of drugs every three to five days to as long as the amount of hormones in the blood is not completely normalized.

Approximately a month after the start of replacement therapy the concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone pituitary (TSH) and thyroxine Thyroxine - the main thyroid hormone   (T4) in blood and a set dose of drug at which the content was maintained at the lower TSH and T4 - on the upper normal for newborns. Such treatment is carried the child for life with periodic laboratory monitoring and dose adjustment of L-thyroxine.

A child with congenital hypoplasia Hypoplasia - a congenital malformation of the fetus   Thyroid is also recommended as a possible long-term breastfeeding, conducting courses of gymnastics, massage, regular exposure to fresh air, the use of vitamin D.

The timely appointment of adequate treatment allows most children with hypoplasia of the thyroid gland to grow and develop normally.

Galina Romanenko