A hormone test. Blood tests can determine the amount of hormones produced by your thyroid and pituitary glands. If your thyroid is underactive, the level of thyroid hormone will be low. At the same time, the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) will be elevated because your pituitary gland tries to stimulate your thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone. A goiter associated with an overactive thyroid usually involves a high level of thyroid hormone in the blood and a lower than normal TSH level.
An antibody test. Some causes of a goiter involve production of abnormal antibodies. A blood test may confirm the presence of these antibodies.
Ultrasonography. A wand-like device (transducer) is held over your neck. Sound waves bounce through your neck and back, forming images on a computer screen. The images reveal the size of your thyroid gland and whether the gland contains nodules that your doctor may not have been able to feel.
A thyroid scan. During a thyroid scan, a radioactive isotope is injected into the vein on the inside of your elbow. You lie on a table with your head stretched backward while a special camera produces an image of your thyroid on a computer screen.The time needed for the procedure may vary, depending on how long it takes the isotope to reach your thyroid gland. Thyroid scans provide information about the nature and size of your thyroid, but they’re more invasive, time-consuming and expensive than ultrasound tests.
A biopsy. During a fine-needle aspiration biopsy, ultrasound is used to guide a needle into your thyroid to obtain a tissue or fluid sample for testing.
2. Treatment:
Goiter treatment depends on the size of the goiter, your signs and symptoms, and the underlying cause. Your doctor may recommend:
Observation. If your goiter is small and doesn’t cause problems, and your thyroid is functioning normally, your doctor may suggest a wait-and-see approach.
Medications. If you have hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone replacement with levothyroxine (Levoxyl, Synthroid, Tirosint) will resolve the symptoms of hypothyroidism as well as slow the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from your pituitary gland, often decreasing the size of the goiter.
For inflammation of your thyroid gland, your doctor may suggest aspirin or a corticosteroid medication to treat the inflammation. If you have a goiter that is associated with hyperthyroidism, you may need medications to normalize hormone levels.
Surgery. Removing all or part of your thyroid gland (total or partial thyroidectomy) is an option if you have a large goiter that is uncomfortable or causes difficulty breathing or swallowing, or in some cases, if you have a nodular goiter causing hyperthyroidism.
Surgery is also the treatment for thyroid cancer.
You may need to take levothyroxine after surgery, depending on the amount of thyroid removed.
Radioactive iodine. In some cases, radioactive iodine is used to treat an overactive thyroid gland. The radioactive iodine is taken orally and reaches your thyroid gland through your bloodstream, destroying thyroid cells. The treatment results in a diminished size of the goiter, but eventually may also cause an underactive thyroid gland.
3. Goiter treatment facilities in Vietnam
The are many hospital over inn Vietnam treat goiter, earch with a different treatment, some have drug treatment, some have surgical treatment.
In Danang, have a hospital have 20 years experience on goiter treatment, that Binh Dan General Hospital. They treat for patients by surgical immediately, they treatment for over 3000 goiter cares each year. Their address: 376 Tran Cao Van street, Danang City, if you need some advice about goiter let’s call: +84.913.415.229 (Dr Vu Thi Tu Hang – Director).
Binh Dan general Hospital in Da Nang
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