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. 2021 Oct 26;17(1):337.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-021-03047-w.

CT appearance and measurements of the normal thyroid gland in goats

Filip Pankowski  1 , Bartłomiej Jan Bartyzel  2 , Sławomir Paśko  3 , Agata Moroz  4 , Marcin Mickiewicz  4 , Olga Szaluś-Jordanow  5 , Joanna Bonecka  5
Affiliations

CT appearance and measurements of the normal thyroid gland in goats

Filip Pankowski et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Goats are increasingly being kept as companion animals, thus their owners expect advanced medical care, including modern diagnostic imaging. Computed tomography (CT) is now widely used in veterinary medicine, in both clinical practice and for scientific purposes. So far, the CT appearance of various body parts has been described in goats, but reports on thyroid gland CT are still lacking. The thyroid gland in goats may become enlarged due to dietary, genetic or neoplastic disorders. CT examination, as in other animals and humans, could aid in the diagnosis of thyroid diseases in goats and could be used for research purposes. The aim of the study was to present the CT characteristics of the normal caprine thyroid gland, in particular its dimensions, volume and density.

Results: Fifty-seven goats were included in the study. None of the animals had clinical, CT, post-mortem or histopathologic abnormalities in the thyroid gland. CT features of the thyroid gland were determined, such as dimensions, volume, density, location and shape. The presence of the thyroid isthmus and ectopic thyroid tissue was also assessed. The gland was visible in every animal as two homogenous, highly attenuating, well-circumscribed lobes located in the most cranial part of the trachea. The mean dimensions of the thyroid lobe were 30.3 × 12.7 × 6.7 mm, the mean density was 80.9 Hounsfield Units (HU) and the mean volume was 1.32 cm3 or 1.39 cm3, depending on the method used. Also, the internal parathyroid glands were visible in some animals.

Conclusions: For the first time, the normal CT appearance of the thyroid gland has been presented. CT clearly shows the thyroid gland in goats and therefore can be used in clinical practice and for research. The results of the current study may serve as a radiological guideline for practitioners and may be the basis for further CT studies on normal and diseased caprine thyroid glands.

Keywords: CT; Caprine; Goats; Parathyroid gland; Thyroid gland.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Computed tomographic image of a normal caprine thyroid gland in sagittal reconstruction (A) and transverse plane (B). The lobe is homodense and hyperdense compared to surrounding muscles and has smooth margins. WL = 80; WW = 220. th – thyroid gland; e – esophagus; c1 – first cervical vertebra; c2 – second cervical vertebra; jv – jugular vein; tr – trachea; stm – sternothyroid muscle; shm – sternohyoid muscle; WL – window level; WW – window width
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Computed tomographic image of a normal caprine internal parathyroid gland in a sagittal reconstruction (A) and transverse plane (B). The arrow shows the internal parathyroid gland, which is hypodense, poorly defined and located inside the cranial part of the thyroid lobe, close to its medial surface. WL = 80; WW = 220. c1 – first cervical vertebra; c2 – second cervical vertebra; WL –window level; WW – window width
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Computed tomographic image of the normal caprine thyroid lobe in sagittal reconstruction (A) and transverse plane (B). The lines show how the maximum length, width and height of the lobe were measured. The circles show how the thyroid density was measured. They represent ROI, which were placed in cranial, central and caudal part of the lobe. ROI – region of interest
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Computed tomographic maximum intensity projection (MIP) of the thyroid gland in the dorsal (A) and sagittal (B) planes. A method of measuring the caudal range of the thyroid gland in relation to tracheal rings is shown. th – thyroid, cc – cricoid cartilage, v – vertebra, tr – tracheal lumen, 1-6 – tracheal ring number
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