[caption id="attachment_1842" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="http://www.hormonesoup.com/?attachment_id=1842" rel="attachment wp-att-1842"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1842" alt="Thyroid Ultrasound" src="http://www.hormonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/thyroid-ultrasound-HS-150x100.jpg" width="150" height="100" /></a> Thyroid Ultrasound          image: 123rf[/caption]

I went for a thyroid ultrasound this week to check the status of my thyroid.  I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 4 or 5 years ago.  I find it strange that I don't really remember when but it was such a non-event in a way.  Back then I didn't understand much about hypothyroidism and my doctor was pretty non-chalant about it all.  I remember him telling me my thyroid tests came back and that I needed to take thyroid hormone. At the time I didn't have a clue what TSH or T4 or T3 was, let alone what a thyroid nodule or Hashimotos was.  I've learned a lot since then, including that I wasn't alone.  Most women who tell me their doctor says that their "thyroid tests are normal" have no idea what that even means or which test(s) they've had done.   Even many women who have been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder don't always understand what's going on with their thyroid.  Since that day, I have come to realize how important it is to treat that beautiful little butterfly shaped gland with plenty of TLC - tender loving care - even if you don't have thyroid disease!

I've never had a thyroid ultrasound before and decided it was time to ask for one.  So I spoke with my doctor about it and she agreed I should get it checked out.  I am waiting for the official results but the ultrasound technician said she didn't see any nodules but that she could tell I had hypothyroidism.  I had known that the ultrasound could show things like an enlarged thyroid and nodules or masses, etc. but hadn't realized that hypothyroidism is often visible due to the size and texture of the thyroid which shows up on the ultrasound. I knew that had to find out more about ultrasound and thyroid and here's some of what I found:
<h3>USE of THYROID ULTRASOUND IN EUROPE DIFFERS FROM IN NORTH AMERICA</h3>
In North America the gold standard for thyroid testing is the TSH test alone.  Many women I speak to from North America have to educate themselves, visit their primary care physician several times and insist upon getting tests other than just TSH. The guidelines surrounding thyroid disorder in North America are rigid compared the other countries around the world. In the Czech Republic, for example, a thyroid ultrasound is part of the initial diagnosis process of primary care physicians.  In addition to the ultrasound it is standard for a Czech doctor to check TSH, free T4 and thyroid antibodies to complete the initial thyroid picture.

And while The American Thyroid Association recommends only complicated hypothyroid patients be referred to an endocrinologist, in Europe, once a patient has been diagnosed they are very often referred to an endocrinologist who will help them manage their thyroid disorder for their lifespan.

In North America, radiologists read our thyroid ultrasounds - send them to the doctor and we wait until we have our next appointment to get the results.  In much of Europe a patient's thyroid ultrasound will be performed by the endocrinologist in his/her office.  (I had a Canadian OB/GYN once who had his own ultrasound device and did his own ultrasounds in his office and let me just say it was the cat's meow!)

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Here's an American Reference to the Use
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<td><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"Ultrasound is not <strong>generally required for the diagnosis of diffuse thyroid diseases</strong>; however, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is primarily a subclinical disease and <strong>ultrasound can detect this subset of patients before they come to clinical attention</strong>, when typical ultrasound findings are present. In addition, <strong>ultrasound has a role in excluding focal thyroid disease and in assessing the size of the thyroid</strong>."</em></span>

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</sup></em></span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"All patients should undergo an evaluation of the cervical lymph nodes as part of a routine thyroid ultrasound. Enlarged but morphologically normalappearing cervical lymph nodes are common in patients with AITD (particularly Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and can even be the first clue of this diagnosis"</em></span>

<em>Sholosh, B. &amp; Borhani, A., (2011). </em>Thyroid Ultrasound Part 1: Technique and <em id="__mceDel">Diffuse Disease,  </em><em id="__mceDel">Radiologic Clinics of North America, 49, 391–416.</em></td>
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