[Thyroid volume evaluation in girls with Turner syndrome according to normal range for healthy population].

Abstract

Introduction: Turner syndrome is a common chromosomal aberration. Among other features of that syndrome susceptibility to autoimmune diseases is well known. Most often there is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Because of short stature the evaluation of thyroid volume according to chronological age seems to be not efficient. THE AIM of the study was to find an adequate method of thyroid volume evaluation in girls with Turner syndrome using standards for healthy children.

Material and methods: 54 girls with Turner syndrome were examined, mean age was 11 years and 9 months. Physical and ultrasonographic examination of thyroid gland was performed. The hormonal state and presence of antithyroid autoantibodies were evaluated. The thyroid volume was evaluated according to normal range (by Delange) for chronological and height age of each girl.

Results: According to chronological age the thyroid volume was in normal range, but according to height age in 3 patients the thyroid volume was over 97 percentile. They were the same girls in whom we detected goiter according to physical examination.

Conclusions: We suggest that proposed method gives the possibility of an accurate evaluation of thyroid volume in patients with Turner syndrome and in other patients with growth deficiency.