Thyroid and Ovarian Flashcards
Develops in the first trimester as an
outgrowth of cells from the pharynx
Thyroid gland
Remnants of thyroid tissue can persist into
childhood or adulthood along this pathway
leading to _____.
thyroglossal cysts or nodules
Normal adult thyroid gland: two lobes
joined in the midline by an
isthmus
Normal location of thyroid gland
anterior and slightly
caudad to the cartilages of the larynx
divide the thyroid gland into
pseudolobules
fibrous septa
Overalla enlargement of the thyroid gland is called
goiter
Roles of ultrasound in thyroid imaging
Detect and characterize nodules and
determine which lesions require biopsy
Guide in fine needle aspiration biopsy of
thyroid nodules that are difficult to palpate
Preferred frequency for linear array transducers in thyroid imaging
High; 10MHz or higher
Frequency for patients with thick neck or extensive goiter
7-10MHz
If there are several masses or nodules found in thyroid ultrasound, this usually
indicates the presence of
If there is only one mass, it may be
enlargement of thyroid gland (goiter)
cancerous and needs further evaluation
Shows image of the blood circulation in the gland
Color Doppler flow studies
Examination used biopsy to help the physician guide the needle to the mass that needs to be evaluated.
Also useful to direct removal of fluid from acyst (aspiration)
Ultrasaound
Echogenecity of nodules likely to be maignant
hypoechoic
Areas of cystic change within the nodule should be identified because this indicates a lesion that is likely
malignant or benign?
benign
areas of calcification within the nodule
should also be assessed. Fine punctate areas of
calcification often appear sonographically as high
amplitude echoes without acoustic shadowing. These are typical for ____ (malignant or benign) calcifications related to _____.
malignant
Psammoma bodies
Echogenecity of benign lesions (thyroid)
In general, benign lesions are isoechoic or
echogenic compared to normal background
echogenicity of the thyroid.
These nodules often have
a thin, well-defined hypoechoic halo on the
periphery of the lesion. There frequently are cystic
areas within these nodules.
Hyperplastic and adenomatous nodules
Appearance of benign lesions (thyroid) in color doppler
avascular debris within
the nodules that have undergone hemorrhagic
degeneration. A fluid level may be noted in
nodules that have acute internal hemorrhage.
Although calcification is relatively
uncommon with benign nodules, it is
frequently curvilinear and peripheral. This is
often referred to as _____
eggshell calcification
Not infrequently, multiple adenomas or
hyperplastic nodules result in diffuse
enlargement of the gland with multi-focal
disease known as
multinodular goiter
True cystic lesions of the thyroid are most
often colloid cysts. They are predominantly
anechoic but may have the presence of tiny
high amplitude echoes casting reverberation
artifacts known as _____ that are highly characteristic.
comet-tails
Benign inflammatory condition: diffusely enlarged gland demonstrating
hypoechoic areas with a very disorganized
and heterogeneous pattern
Chronic: color Doppler may
demonstrate prominent vascularity within infected
areas
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
The most common thyroid malignancy.
Papillary carcinoma
characteristically a sequela of long-standing Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis with lymphocytic infiltration of the gland.
lymphoma
