Changes in thyroid volume during the course of treatment of congenital primary hypothyroidism with an in situ thyroid gland


Yılmaz Y., ÇETİNKAYA S., MURATOĞLU ŞAHİN N.

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, cilt.39, sa.9, ss.875-882, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 39 Sayı: 9
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1515/jpem-2026-0210
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.875-882
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid volume, hypoplasia, treatment
  • Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objectives: Changes in thyroid volume (TV) during the course of treatment of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate changes in TV according to etiology and their impact on treatment withdrawal rates. Methods: Clinical features and thyroid ultrasonography (US) findings at diagnosis and at 3 years of age were evaluated in 178 patients with gland in situ CH. Results: At diagnosis, thyroid ultrasound showed normal volume (64.3 %, n=133), hyperplastic (16.9 %, n=35), and hypoplastic (4.8 %, n=10) glands. In hyperplastic cases, median TV decreased significantly from 4.08 SDS (2.00–22.63) to 0.55 SDS (−1.68–8.52) over 3 years (p<0.0001), while hypoplastic glands showed an increase from −2.25 SDS (−2.75–2.00) to −1.05 SDS (−2.50–0.70) (p=0.005). No significant change was observed in normal volume patients [−0.42 SDS (−1.93–1.87) vs. −0.23 SDS (−2.36–5.16), p=0.305]. Transient CH rates differed by morphology (60.9, 48.6, and 20 %, respectively; p=0.025). At 3 years, 70 % (n=7) of initially hypoplastic glands reached normal volume, with a treatment withdrawal rate of 28.6 %. Conclusions: In this study, which is the first to evaluate TV changes during the course of CH treatment, a significant decrease in TV SDS was found in patients with hyperplasia, whereas a significant increase was observed in those with hypoplasia. Despite initial hyperplasia or hypoplasia, TV could normalize over time, and treatment withdrawal was possible even in these groups.