Thyroid Ultrasound measurements?

[daisyxdaisy]

I have been dealing with a strangling sensation for the past couple of weeks, accompanied by dysphasia/trouble getting food down. My PCP sent me today for a thyroid and neck ultrasound. Of course, the tech didn't say anything because she can't, so I didn't ask. However, I did watch her take a whole lot of measurements. Is it normal to take measurements of the thyroid when everything looks normal, or do they mainly just take measurements when they find abnormalities? In addition to the measurements, she seemed to take an enormous amount of pictures on my right side. Thank you in advance!

[Barb135]

Yes, it's normal for the tech to take a lot of measurements of the thyroid when doing an ultrasound.  It's standard procedure to measure both lobes of your thyroid, along with the isthmus, plus if there are any nodules, she would have measured those.  Many of us have nodules on our thyroid gland and they're not anything to worry about; they're quite common with Hashimoto's and/or Graves Disease.

It's possible the right side could have more nodules, it could be larger or there could be any number of reasons for her to take more photos of the right side.  That doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem.