Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of thyroid hemiagenesis: ultrasound screening in patients with thyroid disease and normal population

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Endocrine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a rare form of thyroid dysgenesis, in which one thyroid lobe fails to develop. The true prevalence of this rare abnormality is about 0.05–0.2% in normal population. We aimed to determine prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis in patients with various thyroid disorders and a normal population in a mild to moderate iodine-deficient area. The clinical and thyroid ultrasonography records of 4,833 patients who presented with various thyroid disorders were reviewed. In addition, ultrasonographic data of two large surveys carried out for the community screening of iodine status of children (n = 4,772) and thyroid disorders of adult subjects (n = 2,935) were analyzed. In patients with thyroid disorders, we found 12 cases with thyroid hemiagenesis (0.25%). Thyroid hemiagenesis was due to the agenesis of the left lobe in all cases. The underlying thyroid diseases were Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (n = 4), euthyroid multinodular goiter (n = 4), and toxic adenoma (n = 1). Three subjects have no underlying thyroid disease. In ultrasonography screening of normal population, altogether, the absence of the left lobe was detected in only two cases, indicating a true prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis of 0.025%. None of the reviewed patients had thyroid dysfunction. Our community-based data is in accordance with previous studies in terms of prevalence and male-to-female ratio.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J. Deladoëy, G. Vassart, G. Van Vliet, Possible non-Mendelian mechanisms of thyroid dysgenesis. Endocr Dev 10, 29–42 (2007)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. P. Mikosch, H.J. Gallowitsch, E. Kresnik, M. Molnar, I. Gomez, P. Lind, Thyroid hemiagenesis in an endemic goiter area diagnosed by ultrasonography: report of sixteen patients. Thyroid 9, 1075–1084 (1999)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. J.C. Melnick, P.E. Stemkowski, Thyroid hemiagenesis (hockey stick sign): a review of the world literature and a report of four cases. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 52, 247–251 (1981)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. N. Karabay, A. Çömlekci, M.S. Canda, F. Bayraktar, B. Değirmenci, Thyroid hemiagenesis with multinodular goiter: a case report and review of the literature. Endocr J 50, 409–413 (2003)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. S. Nakamura, M. Isaji, M. Ishimori, Thyroid hemiagenesis with postpartum silent thyroiditis. Intern Med 43, 306–309 (2004)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. A.G. Özgen, F. Saygili, T. Kabalak, Thyroid hemiagenesis associated with Graves’ disease and Graves’ ophthalmopathy: case report. Thyroid 14, 75–77 (2004)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. R. Sharma, A. Mondal, M. Popli, M. Sahoo, N. Malhotra, S. Soni, Hemiagenesis of the thyroid associated with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Clin Nucl Med 26, 506–508 (2001)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. A. Gursoy, M. Sahin, D.T. Ertugrul, Z. Berberoglu, A. Sezgin, N.B. Tutuncu, N.G. Demirag, Familial dilated cardiomyopathy hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism associated with thyroid hemiagenesis. Am J Med Genet A 140, 895–896 (2006)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. A.M. Pizzini, G. Papi, S. Corrado, C. Carani, E. Roti, Thyroid hemiagenesis and incidentally discovered papillary thyroid cancer: case report and review of the literature. J Endocrinol Invest 28, 66–71 (2005)

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. W. Shabana, F. Delange, M. Freson, M. Osteaux, J. De Shepper, Prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis: ultrasound screening in normal children. Eur J Pediatr 59, 456–458 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. R. Maiorana, A. Carta, G. Floriddia, D. Leonardi, M. Buscema, L. Sava, F. Calaciura, R. Vigneri, Thyroid hemiagenesis: prevalence in normal children and effect on thyroid function. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88, 1534–1536 (2003)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Korpal-Szczyrska, W. Kosiak, Prevalence of thyroid Hemiagenesis in an asymptomatic schoolchildren population. Thyroid 18, 637–639 (2008)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 5. cadde No: 48, Bahcelievler, Ankara, 06490, Turkey

    Alptekin Gursoy, Cuneyd Anil, Asli Dogruk Unal, Asli Nar Demirer & Neslihan Bascil Tutuncu

  2. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Murat Faik Erdogan

Authors
  1. Alptekin Gursoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cuneyd Anil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Asli Dogruk Unal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Asli Nar Demirer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Neslihan Bascil Tutuncu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Murat Faik Erdogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alptekin Gursoy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gursoy, A., Anil, C., Unal, A.D. et al. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of thyroid hemiagenesis: ultrasound screening in patients with thyroid disease and normal population. Endocr 33, 338–341 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-008-9095-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-008-9095-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation