Thyroid gland parameters of mature women living in Saint-Petersburg

Abstract

   Due to the prevalence of thyroid diseases among women, there is a need for a detailed study of the morphometric parameters of this endocrine organ in diverse age groups.   The aim of the study was to investigate the linear sizes and the thyroid gland shapes using sectional method and intravital sonography in women of mature age residing in St. Petersburg.   Material and methods. The ultrasound diagnostics was used to examine thyroid glands in 117 women of mature age. The exclusion criteria were neck surgery, thyroid nodules and endocrine system diseases. All women were divided into age groups according to the scheme of age periodization of human ontogenesis adopted in 1965. There were 42 thyroid glands obtained from the women died at the mature age, whose fatal outcome was not associated with the pathology of the endocrine system or the thyroid gland; they were allocated into a separate group.   Results. Significant differences were registered in the thickness of the left lobe of the thyroid gland in women of the first and second adulthood periods; there was also detected a significant predominance of the size and volume of the right lobe over the left one. Cluster analysis, relying on the thickness of the isthmus of the thyroid gland and the symmetry of its lobes, allows differentiating three shapes of the thyroid gland: “butterfly-shaped”, semilunar and indefinite.   Conclusion. The asymmetry of the thyroid lobes is a typical feature of this organ of the endocrine system at the studied age periods in mature women. When determining the shape of the thyroid gland, dissecting and morphometry are more informative options than ultrasound examination. To compare the findings on the shape of the thyroid gland obtained by various researchers, it is necessary to standardize the technique and apply a unified classification of the thyroid gland shapes.