ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Jan 21;110(2):e382-e390. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae194. PMID: 38529838

Brief Summary: This population-based cross-sectional study established new reference values for thyroid volume by ultrasound in German children and adolescents. It included 6,553thyroid-healthy and iodine-sufficient participants older than 6 years, selected from 17,641 children who participated in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents. Thyroid volume, measured during the baseline study between 2003 and 2006, strongly correlated with body surface area (BSA), enabling the creation of age- and BSA-specific percentile charts. Compared to World Health Organization (WHO) 2004 references [1], the new values were found to be significantly lower and better reflect current iodine sufficiency.

A strength of this study is that all children had urinary iodine concentration and serum FT4, TSH and TPO antibodies measured. These new reference values will improve diagnostic accuracy in goiter assessment.

Reference: 1. Michael B Zimmermann 1, Sonja Y Hess, Luciano Molinari, Bruno De Benoist, François Delange, Lewis E Braverman, Kenji Fujieda, Yoshiya Ito, Pieter L Jooste, KhairyaMoosa, Elizabeth N Pearce, Eduardo A Pretell, Yoshimasa Shishiba. New reference values for thyroid volume by ultrasound in iodine-sufficient schoolchildren: a World Health Organization/Nutrition for Health and Development Iodine Deficiency Study Group Report. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;79(2):231-7. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/79.2.231. PMID: 14749228