Prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis: ultrasound screening in normal children.
While performing a systematic ultrasound study of the thyroid gland volume for the evaluation of iodine deficiency in 2845 normal Belgian school children, we found an absence of the left lobe in 6 children (4 girls and 2 boys). There was no association with other thyroid malformations or dysfunction.


CONCLUSIONS
This first systematic ultrasound evaluation of thyroid hemiagenesis in normal children established a prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis of 0.2% and confirmed the female predominance and higher incidence of agenesis of the left lobe.
Shabana
W
W
Department of Radiology, Academic Hospital of the Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
Delange
F
F
Freson
M
M
Osteaux
M
M
De Schepper
J
J
D002648:Child; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography