Concepts | Thyroid

Ashley Davidoff MD

Introduction

In the Coronal Plane

“H” shaped gland in the Coronal Projection

The thyroid gland is an H shaped gland consisting of two vertical limbs called left and right lobes and a horizantal band connecting the two limbs called the isthmus

Coronal Reconstruction – CT scan – The Thyroid

The CT scan of the neck shows the thyroid (pink) as a central structure surrounded by the great vessels including the internal jugular veins (blue) and the carotid arteries, (red) and the airway (black)

In the Transverse Plane

An invertyed “U” or an “n”

The thyroid gland in the transverse view looks like an inverted “U” or an “n” with a right and left lobe represented in the as long and relatively wide limbs (pink) and the istmus represented asd a thinner and shorter lim connecting the two lobes (pale mauve)

The Thyroid in Trasverse Section

The axial CTscan of the neck k shows the thyroid gland with the right and left lobes (pink) and the isthmus in light purple. It is a central structure surrounded by the great vessels including the internal jugular veins (blue) and the carotid arteries, (red) and the airway (black)

Transverse Scan using Ultrasound

The transverse ultrasound of the thyroid glandshows the asymmetric symmetry of the lobes. In this cut the right lobe is slightly larger than the left and the isthmus consists of a narrow band that is only about 5mms thick.