Abstract
The thyroid is situated in the anterior neck. It consists of two somewhat pear-shaped lobes which lie to the sides of the trachea, and a smaller isthmus joining the medial aspects of the lobes lies over the second to fourth tracheal rings (Figure 1.1). The lobes are about 5 cm long, 3 cm across at the widest part, and 2 cm thick at the broader lower pole. The inferior poles of the lobes extend to the sixth tracheal ring, and the superior poles to the thyroid cartilage. In adults the thyroid weighs approximately 20 g. In the newborn it is about 1.5 g and it increases progressively with age and size [1]. There is some debate about whether a normal thyroid is palpable or not. Certainly in well-built men it is not, due to development of the anterior neck musclles. On the other hand, the normal thyroid can be palpated in many normal women.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Spencer, R.P. and Banever, C. (1970) Human thyroid growth: a scan study. Invest. Radiol., 5, 111–16.
Levy, H.A., Sziklas, J.J., Rosenberg, R.J. et al. (1987) Incidence of a pyramidal lobe on thyroid scans. Clin. Nucl. Med., 12, 560–61.
Johnson, N. (1955) The blood-supply of the human thyroid gland under normal and abnormal conditions. Br. J. Surg., 42, 587–94.
Kriss, J.P. (1970) Radioisotopic thyroidolymphography in patients with Graves’ disease. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 31, 315–24.
Beales, J.S.M., Nundy, S. and Taylor, S. (1971) Thyroid lymphography. Br. J. Surg., 58, 168–71.
Ram, M.D., Archer, B.T. and Brown, H.W. (1974) Thyroidography and thyroidolymphography. Surg. Gynecol. Obstet., 138, 417–20.
Gandhi, G.M. and Shanker, S. (1976) Thyroid lymphography. Am. J. Surg., 131, 563–5.
Klinck, G.H., Oertel, J.E. and Winship, T. (1970) Ultrastructure of normal human thyroid. Lab. Invest., 22, 2–22.
Knight, P.J., Hamoudi, A.B. and Vassy, L. E. (1983) The diagnosis and treatment of midline neck masses in children. Surgery, 93, 603–11.
Hawkins, D.B., Jacobsen, B.E. and Klatt, E.C. (1982) Cysts of the thyroglossal duct. Laryngoscope, 92, 1254–8.
Okstad, S., Mair, I.W.S., Sundsfjord, J.A. et al. (1986) Ectopic thyroid tissue in the head and neck. J. Otolaryngol., 15, 52–5.
Deane, S.A. and Telander, R.L. (1978) Surgery for thyroglossal duct and branchial cleft anomalies. Am. J. Surg., 136, 348–53.
Noyek, A.M. and Friedberg, J. (1981) Thyroglossal duct and ectopic thyroid disorders. Otolaryngol., Clin. N. Amer., 14, 187–201.
Sistrunk, W.E. (1920) The surgical treatment of cysts of the thyroglossal tract. Ann. Surg., 71, 121–2.
Katz, A.D. and Zager, W.J. (1971) The lingual thyroid: its diagnosis and treatment. Arch. Surg., 102, 582–5.
Postlethwait, R.W. and Detmer, D.E. (1975) Ectopic thyroid nodules in the esophagus. Ann. Thorac. Surg., 19, 98–100.
Shemin, R.J., Marsh, J.D. and Schoen, F.J. (1985) Benign intracardiac thyroid mass causing right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Am. J. Cardiol, 56, 828–9.
Rieser, G.D., Ober, K.P., Cowan, R.J. and Cordeil, A.R. (1988) Radioiodine imaging of struma cordis. Clin. Nucl. Med., 13, 421–2.
Hamburger, J.I. and Hamburger, S.W. (1970) Thyroid hemiagenesis. Arch. Surg., 100, 319–20.
Harada, T., Nishikawa, Y. and Ito, K. (1972) Aplasia of one thyroid lobe. Am. J. Surg., 124, 617–19.
Avramides, A., Vichayanrat, A., Solomon, N. et al. (1977) Thyroid hemiagenesis. Clin. Nucl. Med., 2, 310–14.
Matsumura, L.K., Russo, E.M.K., Dib, S.A. et al. (1982) Hemiagenesis of the thyroid gland and T3 hyperthyroidism. Postgrad. Med. J., 58, 244–6.
Gow, W.J. (1883) Total absence of the left lobe of the thyroid body. J. Anat. Physiol., 18, 118.
Melnick, J.C. and Stemkowski, P.E. (1981) Thyroid hemiagenesis (hockey stick sign): a review of the world literature and a report of four cases. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 52, 247–51.
Russotto, J.A. and Boyar, R.M. (1971) Thyroid hemiagenesis. J. Nucl. Med., 12, 186–7.
Cornelius, E.A. (1987) Combined nuclear medicine and ultrasound studies in the evaluation of suppressed thyroid tissue. Clin. Nucl Med., 12, 8–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 I. Ross McDougall
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McDougall, I.R. (1992). Thyroid structure, development and developmental abnormalities. In: Thyroid Disease in Clinical Practice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2881-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2881-8_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-19-520936-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-2881-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive