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Thyroid Scan

Medical Author: Ruchi Mathur, MD
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD

What is the thyroid gland?

The thyroid is a gland that makes and stores essential hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body. It is located in the anterior neck just below the Adams apple.

Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is the, is the main part of the body that takes up iodine. In a thyroid scan, iodine is labeled with a radioactive tracer, and a special camera is used to measure how much tracer is absorbed from the bloodstream by the thyroid gland. If a patient is allergic to iodine, technetium can be used as an alternative.




Next: How is the thyroid scan performed? »

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Thyroid Scan

Thyroid Disease »

Introduction to thyroid disease

When I was asked to write an article on "thyroid disease", I took a very deep breath. The task seemed daunting. As any Endocrinologist (hormone specialist) knows, there are many subtopics within this giant topic, and an article like this could go on for a hundred pages! So, once I caught my breath, I decided to simply design this article to present a "rough guide" to the thyroid. This article will be an outline or introduction to many conditions that involve the thyroid gland. As you read through this, you will find a number of links that will take you to more in-depth articles dealing with the specific topic in question.

Thyroid 101: What is the thyroid and what does it do?

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck just below the Adams apple. The gland wraps around the windpipe (trachea) and has a shape that is similar to a butterfly ...

Read the Thyroid Disease article »




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