Complete Care for Benign Thyroid Disorders and Thyroid Cancer
Diagnostic Testing
We provide all the tests needed to comprehensively evaluate your child's thyroid gland. Examples include:
- Tests of thyroid function: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (free T4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroglobulin, and calcitonin.
- Tests for anti-thyroid antibodies: TSH-receptor antibodies and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies to help diagnose immune-mediated thyroid disease.
- Imaging tests: Ultrasound, CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine tests such as radioactive iodine scanning to assess thyroid size and function and to characterize thyroid nodules.
- Biopsy: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy to obtain a tissue sample to be analyzed. We provide an efficient and well-organized process with anesthesia support to perform biopsies and surgery in a setting that is nurturing and is not frightening.
Personalized Treatment
After assessment of your child's thyroid, we customize a plan of care tailored to his or her needs. Depending on the diagnosis, your child's care may include:
- Medication: Our pediatric endocrinologists can prescribe thyroid hormone or other medications to treat your child's condition.
- Surgery: For many children with thyroid nodules or cancer, surgery will be part of their treatment. Our surgeons have extensive experience conducting thyroid surgery and work with pediatric anesthesiologists in a children's hospital setting to provide care designed just for kids. Studies show that surgeons who perform a high volume of these procedures have fewer complications.
- Radioactive iodine: This is sometimes used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for our patients with thyroid cancer.