All issues > Volume 34(3); 1991

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1991;34(3):426-434. Published online March 31, 1991.

Two cases of ectopic sublingual thyroid with hypothyroidism to be appeared in fetal life.

Dong Sik Kim¹, Mee Kyung Namgoong¹, Hae Yong Lee¹, Hwang Min Kim¹, Baek Keun Lim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Korea

Received: September 12, 1990;  Accepted: October 28, 1990.

Abstract

Infants & children with hypothyrodism usually manifest variable skeletal abnormality. These features are the delay in longitudinal bone growth, the delay in epiphyseal maturation (=delay in bone age), the disturbances in bone mineralization and charateristic multiple stippled epiphysis (cretenoid epiphyseal dysgenesis). But many pediatrician have only concerned about the delay in epiphyseal maturation. Epiphyseal dysgenesis can be used a marker to find out the begining of hypothyroidism and a indicator of prognosis of mental and growth retardation after treatment for hypothyroidism. Ectopic thyroid dose not necessarily mean hypothyrodism itself. In many cases an ectopic thyroid may secrete an amount of thyroid hormone sufficient to modify the symptoms of hypothyroidism. The prevalence features are retardation of growth and development. It is generally accepted that early diagnosis and treatment in congenital hypothyrodism is necessar- y to ensure optimal mental development, similarly, growth development is best preserved in those whom treatment is intiated within the first two years of life. A 8 year and a 9 year old female patients were admitted to our deparment of pediatrics, were suspected hypothyroidism because of ectopic sublingual thyroid. And they showed dysgenesis of distal femoral /proximal tibial epiphysis. These findings suggest they already had hypothyrodism in fetal life. Related literature was briefly reviwed.

Keywords :Hypothyroidism;Ectopic sublingual thyroid;Cretenoid epiphyseal dysgenesis