Ultrasound Exam of Thyroid

Thyroid ultrasound is an imaging technique used for diagnosing suspected thyroid disease. It uses harmless, high-frequency sound waves to form an image. The sound waves are reflected by thyroid tissue to form a picture of internal structures. It is not invasive and involves no radiation.

The thyroid gland is an organ located in front of the neck. It plays an important role in controlling the body’s metabolism. Most thyroid ultrasounds are performed to evaluate a small lump (nodule) in the thyroid found during a physical examination or found incidentally on imaging of the neck obtained for other reasons.  Ultrasound can accurately establish the presence and size of any nodules and can reveal certain characteristics of the nodule that refine the diagnosis or may suggest the need for further studies.