Thyroid and Neck

Thyroid ultrasound uses sound waves to produce pictures of the thyroid gland within the neck. It does not use ionizing radiation and is commonly used to evaluate lumps or nodules found during a routine physical or other imaging exam. Because ultrasound captures images in real-time, it can show the structure and movement of the body's internal organs. The images can also show blood flowing through blood vessels around the neck.

An ultrasound of the thyroid is typically used:

• to determine if a lump in the neck is arising from the thyroid or an adjacent structure
• to analyse the appearance of thyroid nodules and determine if they are the more common benign nodule or if the nodule has features of malignant tumour that require a biopsy. If biopsy is required, ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration can help improve accuracy of the biopsy.
• to look for additional nodules in patients with one or more nodules felt on physical exam
• to see if a thyroid nodule has substantially grown over time