[Normal values of thyroid gland volume. Ultrasound measurements in schoolchildren 7 to 20 years of age]

Abstract

Thyroid gland volume was calculated from ultrasound data (using the ellipsoid formula) in 1080 apparently healthy schoolchildren, aged 7-20 years, from Speyer and Neckargemünd in the Federal Republic of Germany. Thyroid volume was found to increase with age: mean of 4.34 ml (single standard deviation [SD] 1.55) in seven-year olds, 13.6 ml (SD 6.2) in 16-year olds. No measurable increase was found from the 16th year onwards. No sex-related differences in size were found before the age of ten years, with a slight size increase in girls at the time of puberty. The right lobe was significantly larger than the left one (mean difference of 0.8 ml) in all age groups. There was a weakly positive correlation between thyroid volume and age, body weight, height and surface area, respectively, the best correlation for both sexes being between thyroid volume and body surface area. Among the 1080 children and juveniles of both ages there were eight with abnormal findings, all of them girls aged 16-18 years old.