Ultrasound of the thymus gland: technique, norms

A complex system of the human body is immune. She is responsible for all the processes that occur with the person from the moment of his birth until his death. If there are any violations in the system, this necessarily affects the health status. Ultrasound of the thymus gland will identify possible problems with this part of the immune system and eliminate them in time.

"Nanny" thymus

Health is the most important wealth of a person. In the body there is a whole system that monitors that in time to clean up unnecessary "guests" in the form of viruses, bacteria, "bad" cells that carry problems and illnesses. A huge role in the immune system is played by the thymus - thymus gland. If problems arise in the work of this organ, then an ultrasound of the thymus gland should be done. Indications for such a procedure are deviations in the state of health of a person.

Thymus is a kind of incubator, where the light appears, grows, learns the further work of the T-cells of the immune system. So the thymus gland is a kind of nanny for the most important component of the human body's defense system.

Security T-cells

T-cells grown in the thymus (T-lymphocytes) play a very important role for human health. In the process of their development, they are divided into several groups, two of them are T-helper cells and killer T cells. Also, the thymus gland produces certain lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens. Their role, although different, but they are without each other anywhere. T helper cells (helpers) help to recognize the danger in the form of antigens, causing the body to respond actively to such an invasion. T-cells-killers (killers) hunt for damaged cells of the body and destroy them. T-suppressors, and the thymus is responsible for the production of these cells, and they regulate the body's immune response to the work of other T-cells.

Thymus gland and child health

All organs and systems of the human body are laid down during pregnancy. The thymus gland appears and begins to develop approximately from the 6th week of pregnancy. But even after the appearance of the little man, this important organ does not stop in its development. Approximately to 14 years, that is, before puberty, the thymus develops.

Ultrasound of the thymus gland in children allows to identify possible pathologies of its development in order to prevent health problems. For one-year-old crumbs, this organ serves as the main protection against pathogenic microorganisms that try to harm the baby. With the development of all body systems, the role of the thymus in young and middle-aged children does not decrease, it still produces T cells for health. It happens that the thymus in newborns has increased sizes, may be absent altogether, or be pathologically small, which negatively affects the state of the immune system of the child as a whole. That is why it is so important to conduct ultrasound of the thymus gland in a baby in a timely manner.

Thymus in adults

After the onset of puberty, the activity of the thymus gland gradually fades, and to old age it is reduced as much as possible. Moreover, the thymus gland itself is also subjected to involuntary changes - at the age of 75-80 years it is almost completely replaced by a connective and fatty tissue, acquiring a yellowish color.

Why does the thymus stop working?

Thymus is an integral part of the immune and endocrine systems of the body. With age, all organs and tissues undergo adverse changes, which is actively reflected on the thymus gland. That's why it ceases to develop, although it works all the life of a person in regressive order. If you spend ultrasound of the thymus gland in adults, you will see a change in the tissue of the organ with a gradual replacement for stroma and fat and a significant decrease in size.

What can the pathology of the thymus lead to?

Improper development of the thymus gland, a violation of its functions negatively affects the health of a person, especially a child. Sometimes it happens that the baby is born without this important organ or with an underdeveloped thymus. Then the child is in great danger - viral and bacterial infections, autoimmune diseases and neoplasms threaten the health and life of the crumbs. However, to the same problems leads to the extinction of the thymus function in an adult. Ultrasound of the thymus gland is an adequate method of timely recognition of its pathologies.

What is ultrasound for the thymus?

There are several methods to study the condition of the thymus - radiography, tomography, ultrasound. The most popular and affordable way to examine this organ is ultrasound of the thymus gland. What is this for a survey? Ultrasound diagnosis allows a gentle method to examine the necessary and available for this version of the study organs. During the procedure, pathologies are detected in the size of the thymus, its tissues, and also the location. This allows you to get reliable information about the operation of the thymus gland, and also to assign additional methods of examination if any parameters differ from the norm. A comprehensive examination of the work of an important human immune system will prevent the development of serious complications.

Symptoms of thymus problems

One of the pathologies, which is clearly visible when performing ultrasound diagnostics, is thymomegaly. This is called an increase in the size of the thymus gland. In principle, the thymus in children is divided into two sections - cervical and thoracic, although in the adult human cervical segment of the thymus gland is completely absent. An increase in the thymus, like its absence, leads to serious health problems. Symptoms of problems with the work and development of the thymus are as follows:

• Violation of the immune system, the child is often sick;
• Lowering of blood pressure - hypotension;
• Tachycardia - violation of rhythmic work of the heart;
• Dysplasia of the genital organs in both boys and girls;
• Cryptorchidism;
• obesity;
• Hyperhidrosis - sweating;
• Subfebrile temperature, which lasts a long time;
• The child can cough for no reason;
• On the chest can be seen capillary pattern.

The manifestation of these symptoms, both together and separately, requires a referral to a specialist. The doctor will appoint for the examination of the baby a set of necessary tests and studies, including ultrasound of the thymus gland.

How is ultrasound of the thymus performed in children and adults?

If you suspect a pathology of development of the thymus, a child is assigned a test, which includes an ultrasound examination of the organ. To make an ultrasound of the thymus gland to a child is necessary on the recommendation of a doctor, without deviating from this type of research. For children of different ages, the methodology for conducting this survey will be slightly different. Obligatory examination of certain indications should be carried out as soon as possible.

An accessible and basic method is ultrasound of the thymus gland. The features of the procedure correspond to the age of the patient. So, if the child is still too young, he is not yet 9 months old, then he should be put on the medical couch on the back, slightly tilting his head back. For the convenience of the procedure under the neck of the baby, a special narrow cushion or roller, twisted from a regular diaper, should be placed.

If the child is already sitting well, and this is older than 9 months, then it can be planted for the study. Children between the ages of one and a half to two years can undergo ultrasound of the thymus standing. Adults undergo diagnostics of the thymus gland or lying down, or standing up. The time survey does not last long, but may require additional methods and areas of study. However, ultrasound of the thymus gland, the technique of which has been carefully developed, allows you to get a clear enough information about this organ.

Norm and deviations

Thymus gland is most active during childhood. In a newborn baby, it has a weight of 15-17 grams, and its dimensions are within 4-5 cm with a thickness of 6 mm. At the beginning of puberty, when the thymus stops its development, its mass should be from 28 to 34 grams, and the size should be between 7.5 and 16 centimeters.

The method of conducting the examination allows to determine the location of the thymus gland, its dimensions according to the three-dimensional system, and also the structure of the tissue. According to the same parameters, the mass of the thymus is calculated according to a special technique and corresponding coefficients.

For children, the weight of this organ is more than 30 grams is considered to be increased. Calculation of the thymus mass by a specialist in certain techniques allows him to understand whether further examination is necessary in other ways or whether the child develops within the limits of the norm.

The average dimensions of the dimensions determined by science are the norm: height, width and length of the thymus, as well as its mass. Thus, the weight of the thymus should correspond to an average of 0.18-0.38% of the child's body weight. Changing the parameters in one direction or another requires additional methods of diagnosing. Ultrasound of the thymus gland in children allows to study the consistency of the tissues that make up the thymus body in time to detect possible neoplasms, although it is not enough to obtain a specific result in this area of ultrasound diagnostics.

What should I do if there is a problem?

If a child is suspected of having problems with the immune system, the pediatrician should definitely have an ultrasound scan of the thymus gland. In children, the norm of size and weight is the main indicator of thymus health. And if the absence of this body or its underdevelopment requires mandatory medical intervention in the form of hormonal therapy, then here is thymomegaly - an increase in the size and mass of the thymus gland - most often does not require emergency intervention. Usually this problem goes to 6 years, when the thymus becomes the size that it should be by the age of the baby.

But those children who are diagnosed with thymomegaly are shown regular observation, therapeutic and preventive measures in the form of exercise therapy, a diet rich in vitamin C and immunostimulating components. If necessary, the child is prescribed hormone therapy. Methods of maintenance therapy for thymomegaly are determined by the degrees of illness - 1, 2 and 3.

A special feature of the life of children of the newborn, younger and middle-aged is regular vaccination. When diagnosing thymomegaly of the 1 st or 2 nd degree, the carrying out of these preventive measures is permissible after consultation with the pediatrician and endocrinologist. An increase in thymus at the third stage presupposes a medical guide from vaccination.

The USM method: the pros and cons

If you find any health problems, especially a child, you must always consult a doctor. It would seem that such insignificant at first glance deviations as frequent crying of the baby, coughing, sweating, may be the first signs of a serious problem, for example, with the state of the immune system and thymus in particular. One of the most frequently conducted methods of research is ultrasound of the thymus gland. The health standards of this body are determined in accordance with the age of the child. And the method of ultrasound diagnosis can reveal the real state of health of the thymus. Like all methods of diagnosing, ultrasound has its positive side along with its shortcomings.

Ultrasound from the positive side as a method of examining the thymus gland is:

• Availability and technical simplicity of the method;
• Painless;
• Non-invasiveness;
• High accuracy of survey results;
• The developed methods for calculating the parameters of the thymus during this survey method.

Disadvantages of ultrasound in the examination of the thymus gland:

• Finding the organ under investigation inside the chest - poor accessibility for the ultrasound signal;
• Small size of thymus;
• The impossibility of detecting pathological changes in the tissues of the organ.

But even despite some problems, ultrasound of the thymus gland is the primary informative method of examination. According to the results of this study, the doctor appoints additional procedures that will serve as steps for setting a certain diagnosis.

To health it is necessary to be treated very carefully, because even minor changes in well-being can be harbingers of complex diseases, which, as for good reason, are easier to prevent than to treat later.