What does thyroid exploration mean?

Thyroid exploration means that doctors observe the volume, shape, texture and other indicators of thyroid gland by touching (examining) when examining the patient's thyroid gland. Generally speaking, the thyroid gland of normal adults is about 15ml, with soft texture and no obvious lumps or nodules. Through thyroid exploration, doctors can initially understand the patient's thyroid health, which is helpful to further judge whether further examination or treatment is needed.

Although thyroid exploration is a simple and safe examination method, it also has some limitations. Some patients' thyroid may be blocked by deep muscles, and even if doctors master the correct exploration techniques, they may not be able to detect it. In addition, some peripheral structures such as lymph nodes may also affect the examination of thyroid gland. Therefore, simple thyroid exploration is not enough to determine the specific situation of the disease, and it needs to be combined with other examination methods for diagnosis.

For women who are pregnant or may be pregnant, the operation of thyroid exploration should be more cautious. During pregnancy, the increase of estrogen level will affect the function and structure of thyroid gland, which will lead to abnormal increase of thyroid gland, increase the pressure of trachea and larynx, and cause symptoms such as poor breathing. Therefore, before pregnancy, during pregnancy and postpartum, pregnant women should try to conduct thyroid exploration and examination regularly, so as to find and treat diseases as soon as possible.