Is the tracheal index useful for evaluating the thyroid in infants suspected of hypothyroidism?
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, cilt.39, sa.2, ss.143-149, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 39 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1515/jpem-2025-0444
- 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.143-149
- Anahtar Kelimeler: tracheal index, infant, newborn, hypothyroidism, SGA, preterm
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objectives: Measuring the longitudinal axis of the thyroid in infants can be difficult because of their short necks. The tracheal index (TI) provides an estimate of thyroid size based only on transverse measurements. Three studies have examined TI in infants, all of which focused on establishing normative data. This study evaluated the usefulness of TI in infants with suspected congenital hypothyroidism. Methods: Eighty infants with elevated TSH levels, identified during newborn screening, were included in this study. The thyroid size of the infants was assessed using thyroid volume (TV), TV standard deviation score (SDS), and TI. Results: TI was positively correlated with both TV and TV SDS (r = 0.381, p = 0.0001 and r = 0.400, p = 0.0001, respectively). However, no correlation was found between TI and TV for infants born before 38 weeks of gestation, or for those with a BW of less than 2,700 g or a birth weight (BW) below -1 SDS (p > 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of TI in identifying thyroid hyperplasia were 53.8 % and 65.7 %, respectively. Conclusions: TI showed a positive correlation with TV, highlighting its usefulness in both hypothyroid and normal infants. However, there was no correlation between TI and TV in infants born before 38 weeks of gestation or with a BW below 2,700 g. Additionally, the sensitivity and specificity of TI for assessing thyroid hyperplasia were found to be low. These results suggest that its use in infants - especially those who are preterm, have low BW, or present with thyroid hyperplasia - is limited.