Thyroid Dimensions Using Handheld Point-of-Care (bedside) Ultrasound Scan of the Thyroid Gland in Neonates in Port Harcourt and a Review of Literature.

INTRODUCTION

Handheld point-of-care (bedside) ultrasound scan machine is gaining popularity in clinical practice. Using point-of-care ultrasound scan can check the presence (anatomy) and blood flow within the thyroid gland and may be used as screening tool for CH.

METHODOLOGY

Neonates aged 0-3 days underwent ultrasound scan of the neck using a point-of-care (bedside) pocket sized GE V scan machine ® to demonstrate the thyroid dimensions and colour flow for each lobe of the gland. The mean dimensions generated were compared with those from a center in Glasgow, Scotland using Student's "t"test.

RESULTS

Seventy healthy neonates were recruited, 33 males and 37 females before being discharged from maternity units. The mean gestational age at birth was 39.4 weeks (range 37- 2) mean weight of the children was 2.98 kg (±0.51). The mean total thyroid volume was 1.62 mL (±0.18) and this was to that from Glasgow.

CONCLUSION

Handheld point-of-care (bedside) US is useful in determining thyroid gland dimensions in newborn babies and the volume measurements obtained thus far are comparable to those from Glasgow.