Childhood thyromegaly: recent developments

Utility of thyroid function screening in adolescent psychiatric inpatients

OBJECTIVE

Thyroid function abnormalities have been associated with psychiatric symptoms. This study examines the utility of thyroid screening among adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review of 196 first-time admissions to an adolescent psychiatric unit was conducted. Charts were screened for demographics, presence/absence of thyroid function testing, history of thyroid disease, medication/illicit substance use, and other factors of influence on thyroid testing. Thyroid test results were reviewed for abnormalities.

RESULTS

Thyroid function testing was conducted in 150 of the 196 admissions. Fifty-two patients had abnormalities, most of which were isolated abnormalities of thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine uptake (T3U). Laboratory diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and mild hypothyroidism was met by two and eight patients, respectively; five had profiles that were normal upon subsequent testing 1 week later. None of the patients was symptomatic, and none required thyroid supplementation or antithyroid medications. Gender differences in T4 and T3U were noted, and age was positively correlated with T3U.

CONCLUSIONS

Thyroid function tests may be spuriously abnormal in routine screening of newly admitted psychiatric patients. Routine thyroid screening among adolescent psychiatric inpatients is unwarranted except in patients who display physical signs or symptoms suggestive of thyroid disease.

Thyroid ultrasound in IDDM

Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDMM) is often associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and a high prevalence of thyroid antibodies (TA). Ultrasound imaging of the thyroid may contribute to the evaluation of patients with AIT. We therefore investigated ultrasound findings of the thyroid in 83 IDDM patients (44F, 39M) with an age range of 2.3-22.3 yrs (median 11.1). Thyroid volume (ml) determined by ultrasound ranged between 1.3 and 17.9 (median 5.7). Thyroid volumes of 75 healthy children (32F, 43M) with an age range of 2.0 to 11.8 yrs (median 7.6) ranged between 1.6 and 13.2 ml (median 4.8) and did not show a significant difference from the IDDM group from age 4 to 12. TA were positive in 18.8% of the IDDM group. Thyroid volume was higher in TA (+) diabetics (p = 0.05), a finding which may be attributed to a higher percentage of cases with elevated TSH in the TA (+) group. Two diabetic patients showed non-homogeneous hypoechogenicity in the ultrasound compatible with AIT which was later confirmed in one of these cases by aspiration biopsy. Ultrasound imaging of the thyroid may contribute to the evaluation of patients with AIT in IDDM.

Sonography in thyroid carcinoma in children

This paper reviews the clinical, sonographic and pathological findings of 20 children with thyroid carcinoma in an attempt to determine the value and limitations of sonography in thyroid neoplasms in this age group. Although sonography is an excellent technique for the evaluation of thyroid disorders and masses, certain limitations must be kept in mind. Microscopic foci of tumour might be missed and sonography cannot predictably differentiate benign from malignant disease. Previous radiation exposure should increase the level of suspicion for malignancy.

Diagnostic dilemma. The goiter

The incidence of goiters in children is about 4% to 5%. The first step in the evaluation is to decide whether the swelling indeed involves the thyroid. After careful examination, one determines if the thyroid is diffusely or focally enlarged. A solitary nodule merits an extensive workup because of the high rate of malignancy. The evaluation of a diffuse goiter proceeds after deciding if the patient is euthyroid, hypothyroid, or hyperthyroid. In most cases, the child is euthyroid and the diagnosis is either CLT or simple colloid goiter. Laboratory tests for thyroid function and antibodies usually make the diagnosis. The hypothyroid patient most likely has CLT, although drugs or goitrogens, dyshormonogenesis, and thyroid resistance are also possible. The hyperthyroid patient usually has Graves' disease. The incidence of malignancy of solitary thyroid nodules is 15% to 40%; therefore, evaluation must be sensitive enough not to miss cancer. Ultrasonography helps to delineate the anatomy and to reveal if the nodule is cystic. Radionuclide scans are useful, as warm or hot lesions are rarely malignant. Cold nodules require further investigation, and in most institutions, this amounts to open biopsy. Fine-needle aspiration may be used if the clinician and pathologist are experienced. With this aggressive approach to thyroid nodules, malignancies are given early treatment. The prognosis is good in most thyroid carcinomas.

Surgery for benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid gland in childhood

From 1970 to 1986, 51 children and adolescents aged 5-18 years were operated on for diseases of the thyroid gland, among them 42 with benign diseases (juvenile goiter 21, adenoma 17, Graves' disease 3, Hashimoto's thyroiditis 1) and nine with malignancies (papillary carcinoma 4, follicular carcinoma 3, medullary carcinoma 1, anaplastic carcinoma 1). In benign entities, females were three times as often affected as males, whereas both sexes were equally affected in malignancies. Positive family histories were found in 23.3% of the children with adenomas in 71.4% of the children with juvenile goiters. Subtotal strumectomy was carried out in 30 instances and enucleation in 12. Iodized salt and L-thyroxine were given postoperatively as recurrence prophylaxis. Recurrence was seen in two children (4.8%) who had no recurrence prophylaxis. Symptoms in children with malignancies were palpable cervical lymph nodes and solitary nodes in the thyroid gland. Total thyroidectomy was done in all instances, followed by radio-iodine treatment in eight cases and cobalt 60 irradiation in one case. Two children died, of diffuse metastases and irradiation fibrosis of the lung respectively. The peculiarities of diseases of the thyroid gland in childhood that require surgery are discussed.

Ultrasound imaging in diffuse thyroid disorders of children

The diagnosis of diffuse thyroid disorders in children is based mainly on hormone and antibody determinations and a cytologic sample taken by aspiration biopsy. The cytologic sample is not always obtainable in small children or when the thyroid gland is not enlarged. Thyroid antibodies lead to diagnosis only in a proportion of cases. Gamma imaging is not recommended in children because of the radiation risk. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that ultrasound imaging can detect diffuse thyroid disorders in children. Ultrasound images were abnormal in 92% of all subjects; they were abnormal in 97% of cases with thyroiditis and in most cases ultrasound was diagnostic. With antibody determinations, only 60% of the cases of thyroiditis could be diagnosed. Ultrasound imaging--a risk-free method--should be included in the diagnostic investigation of thyroid disorders.

Hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules in children and adolescents

Eight children and adolescents, seven female and one male, aged 7.1 to 15.0 years, referred over a 12-year period for a solitary mass in an otherwise normal thyroid gland, exhibited a hyperfunctioning nodule on thyroid scintiscan. Tracer uptake in the surrounding thyroid tissue was reduced or completely suppressed, but could be restored after TSH stimulation. Only one patient had mild clinical hyperthyroidism with normal T4 but increased T3 serum levels and blunted TSH responsiveness to TRH. A similar hormonal pattern suggestive of subclinical hyperthyroidism was found in three other subjects who were clinically euthyroid. One patient initially euthyroid progressed to subclinical hyperthyroidism two years later. In the whole group a significant negative relationship was found between serum T3 level and TRH-stimulated TSH peak (r = -0.829, p less than 0.02). All the patients underwent selective surgery after a 3-month to 2-year period of follow-up. Microscopic examination was consistent with adenoma in seven patients, while in one case a well-encapsulated papillary adenocarcinoma was found. Though hyperfunctioning nodules are seldom malignant, their surgical removal must be recommended when they become thyrotoxic, exceed 3 cm or show progressive enlargement.

Endocrine disorders in children

The childhood endocrine disorders in which surgical intervention is a common or indispensable part of management are succinctly reviewed. Pathophysiology and rational approaches to diagnosis are emphasized.

Pediatric endocrine surgery

The pediatric surgeon is in a unique position to understand endocrine surgery and, therefore, is expected to develop considerable expertise in this area. In recent years numerous advances and changes have occurred in pediatric endocrine surgery that have led to greater understanding of the disease processes and syndromes and the development of new diagnostic techniques and surgical approaches.

Differentiated thyroid cancer in children

Differentiated thyroid cancer in children remains a controversial disease entity. Its incidence has markedly declined over the last decade since the use of radiotherapy in the treatment of benign conditions of the head, neck, and thorax was abandoned. Other etiologic factors have become relatively more important. The clinical presentation of childhood thyroid cancer is similar to that found in adults, except for a higher frequency of local and distant metastases at the time of initial diagnosis. The specificity and sensitivity of diagnostic tests are limited; however, like in adults, fine-needle aspiration compares favorably with other available diagnostic methods. The therapeutic approach to a child with thyroid cancer represents the most controversial issue associated with the disease. This review provides a discussion of the rationale for the different therapeutic options and emphasizes the excellent prognosis and survival rates, especially when patients are subjected to aggressive treatment with total thyroidectomy followed by the administration of radioactive iodine.

Goiter in pregnant teenagers

Enlargement of the thyroid gland is common in adolescent girls, but there have been no previous reports of the frequency of goiter in pregnant teenagers. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of goiter in 309 consecutive pregnant adolescent patients, ages 11 to 19 years, who presented for prenatal care at the University of California (San Diego) Medical Center Teen OB Clinic. Eighteen patients (6%) were found to have a goiter. Subsequent diagnostic tests revealed that 28% of the patients had autoimmune thyroid disorders (chronic thyroiditis or Graves' disease), and the remainder had nontoxic goiters or subacute thyroiditis. Black patients had significantly more thyroid disease than Mexican-American (p less than 0.01) or white patients (p less than 0.005). The incidence of thyroid problems during pregnancy did not differ significantly from that of 600 nonpregnant teenagers who came to the general Adolescent Medicine Clinic for other health problems. Because abnormalities in thyroid function may have potentially adverse implications for mothers and their infants, we recommend careful evaluation of all pregnant teenagers with goiter to assess maternal thyroid function and to provide treatment if necessary.

Latent childhood thyroid carcinoma in diffuse lymphocytic thyroiditis

Diffuse thyroid enlargement in a child is a rare presenting symptom of thyroid carcinoma. A papillary carcinoma may be hidden in a diffuse lymphocytic thyroiditis and should be carefully searched for during surgery. Furthermore, the finding, in frozen sections, of psammoma bodies in a lymphocytic thyroiditis should raise the suspicion of an occult malignant neoplasm. A case illustrating these diagnostic difficulties in a 5-year-old child is presented.