Schilddrüsenerkrankungen

Hyperthyroidism can be manifested, for example, by excessive sweating, palpitations, restlessness or hair loss. The under-function is more associated with fatigue, weight gain and freezing. Familial preloads on the part of the thyroid gland are not uncommon. The in vitro laboratory carries out the necessary determination of hormone levels and antibodies in the blood. The technical investigations include sonography (ultrasound), in which structural changes of the tissue are made visible and size determinations of the organs of the cervical soft tissue are possible, and the scintigraphy. With the scintigraphy, which consists in a ten-minute recording of the neck region after injecting a small amount of a substance similar to iodine (Tc-99m pertechnetate), the function of the individual thyroid parts is determined. Thus, for example, it is possible to differentiate between "cold" and "hot" nodes. In special cases thyroid tissue must be screened by means of I-123 even after the ectopic (at the "wrong" place, eg in the lower abdomen).

We perform ultrasound-assisted punctures for further clarification of nodules (fine needle aspiration). For large, fluid-filled cavities (cysts), ultrasound-assisted cyst draining can be performed, which often causes local symptoms to disappear immediately.

Should radioiodine therapy become necessary, the preparatory measurements would also be made during the thyroid consultation. As a rule, this is the so-called radioiodine test, in which a capsule is taken on Mondays with a small test amount of radioactive iodine and by means of one-minute measurements on the following days it is determined how much iodine is absorbed into the thyroid gland and how quickly it is excreted again. On the one hand, this serves to precisely determine the amount of therapeutic activity necessary for your illness and, on the other hand, to calculate the probable length of stay on the ward.