What is nodular goiter in children?

Every child is the top priority of our family, and the physical health of children is naturally related to the happiness of the whole family. Children will inevitably encounter problems of varying sizes during their growth process, such as a sudden thickening of the neck. This phenomenon must be taken seriously by parents, because it is very likely that the child has a goiter due to iodine deficiency, and the most common goiter is nodular goiter. So. What are the specific manifestations of this disease?

What is nodular goiter in children?

Nodular goiter refers to enlarged thyroid tissue in the form of single or multiple nodules (more than 2 nodules). Most of them are adenomas, some may become malignant, and a few are thyroid cancers.

What tests should be done for nodular goiter in children?

1. Thyroid function test

General laboratory tests are not very helpful in confirming a nodular goiter because thyroid hormone levels are usually normal and therefore cannot serve as a marker. However, thyroid function tests should be performed, such as T3, T4, FT3, FT4, TSH, PBI

and serum thyroglobulin, etc.

2. Needle aspiration biopsy and cytology

A needle biopsy can obtain cells or fluid from a thyroid nodule. It has certain value in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules and is relatively safe. The puncture results help to indicate surgical treatment, and its cytological accuracy is 50% to 97%. This method can reduce the surgical rate of thyroid nodules. Use 22-27 gauge needles, which is simple and safe to operate. It helps in the diagnosis of nodular goiter, chronic or subacute thyroiditis, papillary or anaplastic carcinoma. However, this method is still difficult to distinguish follicular adenoma from adenocarcinoma, the latter of which also requires observation of histological changes of capsule or vascular invasion.

3. Thyroid radionuclide imaging radionuclides (131I or 99mTc) can reflect the location, size, shape and functional status of the thyroid gland and its nodules. Thyroid scans using 123I usually show hot nodules, which is not a special diagnosis and must be analyzed in conjunction with other conditions. If it is a cold nodule, it may be malignant.

It can be seen that goiter on Children's Day is a relatively common disease. It usually occurs in children in non-coastal areas. Therefore, if such a situation occurs, it is recommended to go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible and eliminate the goiter as soon as possible by taking reasonable medication. At the same time, eating more iodine-containing foods such as kelp in daily life can effectively avoid goiter.