Thyroid Exam Flashcards
How do you explain the thyroid exam?
- asked to perform an examination of your thyroid which is a gland in you neck
- involve me having a look and feel of you hands face neck and leg and then a listen of your neck and asking you to do a few movements does that sound ok?
How do you explain exposure?
I will need you to be able to see your neck region so is it ok if I move your shirt slightly when we come to that part and for this examination my examiner will be acting as a chaperone
What position is needed for the exam?
lay on the bed at 45 degrees and for this examination I need to be able to see your neck, the top of your chest and your legs – is that ok?
What do you look at after general inspection?
hands
What are you looking for on the hands?
- Inspect hands and clubbing
- Feel for temperature
- Hands out and piece of paper for fine tremor
- Pulse Offer BP
What would hypothyroidism look like on inspection?
- Overweight
- Low mood
- Signs of being cold, shivering, clothes
- Swollen face
What would hyperthyroidism look like on inspection?
- Underweight, muscle wasting
- Anxiety/hyperactivity
- Hot: sweating, clothes
- Flushing
What other things do you look for on inspection?
- Hoarse voice
2. Look for medication + mobility aids
What would you look for on the hands on thyroid exam?
- Thyroid acropachy
- Palmar erythema
- Dry skin
- Onycholysis
What would red hands and onycholysis suggest?
hyperthyroidism
What else do you check on the hands?
tremor
How do you test tremor?
- Now I would like you to stretch your arms out like this, and separate your fingers’
- Now could you close your eyes for me, please’
- I’m going to place this paper on your hands (if have paper available)’
- Tremor in hyperthyroidism
- Look at their hands to assess tremor
- Feel for the pulse at the same time (next slide)
- ‘Ideally I would do this for 30 seconds to assess for tremor’
- You can open your eyes now, and relax your arms by your sides again, thank you’
What is the radial pulse like in hypothyroidism?
bradycardia
What is the radial pulse like in hyperthyroidism?
tachycardia and rhythm irregular/AF
What is done after hands on the thyroid exam?
face
How do you explain the face for the thyroid exam?
‘I am going to have a look at your face now, so just look straight ahead for me. I will look from the front, both sides and above’
What do you look for on the face?
- Lid retraction
- proptosis
- conjunctival redness
- Missing outer 1/3 of eyebrow
- Look from the side and from above
How do you test eye movement?
- H test
2. Lid lag
What are you looking for on eye movement?
look for restricted movement
How do you explain the H test?
- am going to assess your eye movement now – do you have any pain in your eyes at the minute, or any double vision?’
- can you look at the tip of my finger, keeping your head still and follow my finger with your eyes’
How do you explain lid lag?
- ‘Now look straight ahead again’
- ‘And follow my finger downwards, keeping your head still’
- Move finger downwards slowly
What is lid lag?
Eyelid mover slower than eye
When is lid lag seen?
hypothyroidism
What eye signs are there in hypothyroidism?
- Dry skin
- Loss of outer 1/3 of eyebrow
- Myxoedema
What eye signs are seen in hyperthyroidism?
- Sweating
- Expothalamos/Proptosis
- Lid retraction
- Conjunctival redness
- Double vision
- Pain on eye movement
- Restricted eye movement
What is after face?
neck/thyroid inspection