THYROID ELASTOGRAPHY IN CHILDREN

The aim of the research was to study the stiffness of an unchanged thyroid gland using shear wave elastography with elastometry in children in different gender and age groups. 175 children with normal hormonal status aged from 3 to 17 were examined, 80 of them were girls and 95 boys. All children underwent ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland in the "supine" position of the examinees, supplemented by two-dimensional shear wave elastography on Aixplorer apparatus (Supersonic Imagine, France) using a linear sensor in the frequency range of 5-18 MHz. Five measurements of Young's modulus value of the right and left lobes of the thyroid gland were carried out. Using Multi Q-box software, the following values of Young's modulus (E) for each fraction were automatically determined: the mean (Emean), the maximum (Emax), the minimum (Emin), the standard deviation (SD). The study established a statistically significant increase in thyroid stiffness values in children with increasing age, statistically significant differences in the stiffness of thyroid right and left lobes (p = 0.003), the absence of gender differences in thyroid stiffness (median Emean in boys – 7.40 kPa, in girls – 6.80 kPa; p = 0.170). The technique of shear wave elastography that is offered by the authors can become an additional diagnostic tool in assessing the condition of the thyroid gland in children. The established values of thyroid tissue stiffness in children of different age groups can be recommended to be used for the purpose of timely diagnosis of thyroid pathology.