Ruolo della scintigrafia nelle malattie della tiroide del bambino

In this report we consider the role of scintigraphy in the thyroid pathology of the child. The morphological test is frequently a complement to thyroid functional study. Thyroid scanning must be utilized any time the clinical examination reveals some kind of anomaly or ectopic gland is suspected. The 99m-Technetium is the radioisotope more often used in children, because it delivers to the thyroid a neglegible amount of radiation. The scanning provides information about: 1) place, dimension, morphology of the gland; 2) distribution of the tracer within the thyroid; this can be: a) homogeneus b) with one or many ucold areas» (focus of thyroiditis, adenoma, carcinoma) c) with one or many ahot areas» included in normally functioning extra-nodular tissue (suspected pre-toxic adenoma) d) with one or many <<hot areas» included in extra-nodular tissue where it’s not possible to demonstrate any functionality (suspected toxic adenoma). Having presented the most significant thyroid scanning, the Authors conclude that, even without clinical specificity, the scintigraphyc patterns, confronted with the clinical findings, offer a very useful contribution to the diagnosis of thyroid pathology.