Endocrine Abstracts

Goitre incidence in school-aged children evaluated by the use of ultrasonography (US), apart from reflecting urine iodine concentration and percentage of households consuming iodized salt, is an essential indicator for assessing iodine intake in a given area. The position in which the US examination is being performed can also be an important problem in terms of its result interpretation. The aim of the study was to examine what is the difference between the thyroid volume measured in the supine and sitting position and to determine the coefficients of variation between measurements performed by the same observer (intra-observer variation), between two (2) observers (inter-observer variation) and between two different positions (inter-position variation). The survey included 87 children (56 girls and 31 boys, aged 7–13 years). The US tests were carried out by two (2) examiners (AZ and ZA). Thyroid volume measured in a sitting position was significantly lower than in the supine position. The intra-observer variations equalled 9.7% (CI – 8.1–11.13) for ZA and 9.56% (CI – 7.66–11.45) for AZ. The inter-observer variations amounted to 34.53% (CI – 31.9–37.1) and 35.7% (CI – 32.5–38.9) for measurements performed in the supine and the sitting position, respectively. We have concluded that the size of the thyroid gland depends on the position in which it is examined. The manner the US evaluation is being performed is important for the analysis of the results. It is crucial to aim at the smallest value of inter-observer variation, which can be achieved by strictly defining the methods of measurement of the thyroid and comparing one’s measuring techniques with the reference technique. Conclusions: The use of standards in US evaluation performed in the supine position, as well as those without a strict determination of the study method, including body position during examination, can lead to erroneous conclusions.