CHARAKTERYSTYKA WRODZONEGO WOLA TARCZYCY ORAZ PRAWIDŁOWEJ TARCZYCY U 2-MIESIĘCZNYCH KÓZ W BADANIU TOMOGRAFII KOMPUTEROWEJ, ULTRASONOGRAFICZNYM I RADIOGRAFICZNYM

Abstract

Goiter, that is enlargement of the thyroid gland, is one of the most common symptoms of thyroid disease in goats. It is usually caused by an iodine deficiency in the diet or the consumption of goitrogenic substances, less often by genetic factors. The development of diagnostic imaging in veterinary medicine and the increasing tendency of animal owners to perform imaging examinations create the need to describe diseases and normal organs in these examinations. The aim of the study was to present the ultrasonographic (US), computed tomographic (CT) and radiographic features of the congenital goiter and the normal thyroid gland in 2-month-old goats. The study was conducted on 18 female goats. Basic diagnostic imaging features of the thyroid gland, such as size, shape, echogenicity, echostructure and density were described. The thyroid gland with congenital goiter showed heterogeneous echostructure and reduced or normal echogenicity on US, reduced density on CT and soft tissue enlargement in the cranial neck area on radiography. Normal thyroid gland in 2-month-old goats on US had mean dimensions of 16 mm × 7 mm × 3.8 mm, homogeneous echostructure and echogenicity higher than the surrounding muscles. On CT, it had mean dimensions of 16.4 mm × 7.7 mm × 4.6 mm and mean density of 80.5 Hounsfield units (HU), while on radiography it couldn’t be differentiated from the surrounding soft tissues. US and CT enable visualization of the thyroid gland and can be used to diagnose congenital goiter in goats. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of diagnostic imaging of the caprine thyroid gland.