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Thyroid and Parathyroid Ultrasound
About this test
A thyroid and parathyroid
ultrasound is an imaging test to check the
thyroid gland and
parathyroid glands. A thyroid ultrasound can help
measure the size and shape of the thyroid gland, but it cannot tell how well
the thyroid gland is working. Ultrasound also may be used to check the four
parathyroid glands that lie behind or next to the thyroid. See a picture of the
thyroid gland and parathyroid glands 
.
The thyroid gland makes a hormone called thyroxine that controls how fast the body converts food into energy (metabolism). Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is made by the parathyroid glands and controls the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.
During a thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound, a small handheld instrument called a transducer is passed back and forth over the neck to form a picture of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 21, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology | |
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