The complex system of the human body is the immune system. She is responsible for all processes that occur with a person from the moment he is born until his death. If any malfunctions occur in the operation of the system, this necessarily affects the state of health. 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 man. The body has a whole system that makes sure that in time to remove unnecessary "guests" in the form of viruses, bacteria, "bad" cells that cause problems and diseases. A huge role in the functioning of the immune system is played by the thymus - the thymus gland. If problems arise in the work of this body, then an ultrasound of the thymus gland should be done. Indications for this procedure are deviations in the well-being of a person.
Thymus is a kind of incubator, where T cells of the immune system are born, grow, and learn how to work. So the thymus gland is a kind of nanny for the most important component of the protective system of the human body.
Security T cells
T cells (T-lymphocytes) grown in the thymus play a very important role for human health. In the process of their development, they are divided into several groups, two large of them - helper T cells and killer T cells. The thymus gland also produces certain lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens. Although their role is different, they are nowhere without each other. Helper T cells (helpers) help to recognize the danger in the form of antigens, forcing the body to actively respond to such an invasion. T-killer cells (killers) hunt for damaged cells in the body and destroy them. T-suppressors, and the thymus is also responsible for the production of these cells, regulate the body's immune response to the work of other T-cells.
Thymus and baby health
All organs and systems of the human body are laid back during pregnancy. The thymus gland appears and begins to develop from about the 6th week of pregnancy. But even after the appearance of the little man in the world, this important organ does not stop in its development. Until about 14 years of age, that is, before puberty, thymus develops.
Ultrasound of the thymus gland in children allows you to identify possible pathologies of its development to prevent health problems. For a one-year-old baby, this organ serves as the main protection against pathogenic microorganisms trying 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 protection. It happens that the thymus in newborns has increased dimensions, may be absent altogether, or may be pathologically small, which negatively affects the state of the child’s immune system as a whole. That is why it is so important to conduct a thymus ultrasound in a baby in a timely manner.
Thymus in adults
After puberty, the activity of the thymus gland gradually fades, and is reduced as much as possible by age. Moreover, the thymus itself also undergoes involutional changes - at the age of 75-80 it is almost completely replaced by connective and adipose tissue, acquiring a yellowish color.
Why does the thymus stop working?
Thymus is an integral part of the body's immune and endocrine systems. With age, all organs and tissues undergo adverse changes, which are actively reflected in the thymus gland. That is why it ceases to develop, although it works the whole person’s life in a regressive manner. If an ultrasound of the thymus gland is performed in adults, then an organ tissue change will be seen with its gradual replacement with stroma and fat and a significant reduction in size.
What can cause the pathology of the thymus?
Improper development of the thymus gland, a violation of its functions adversely affects human health, especially the child. Sometimes it happens that a 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, the extinction of the function of the thymus in an adult leads to the same problems. Ultrasound of the thymus gland is an adequate method for the timely recognition of its pathologies.
Why is an ultrasound of the thymus performed?
There are several methods for studying the state of the thymus - radiography, tomography, ultrasound. The most popular and affordable way to examine this organ is an ultrasound of the thymus gland. What kind of examination is this? Ultrasound diagnostics allows a gentle method to examine the necessary and accessible organs for this research option. During the procedure, pathologies are revealed in the size of the thymus, its tissues, and also the location. This allows you to obtain reliable information about the operation of the thymus gland, as well as assign additional examination methods if any parameters differ from the norm. A comprehensive examination of the work of an important human immune organ will prevent the development of serious complications.
Symptoms of Thymus Problems
One of the pathologies that is clearly visible during 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 - the cervical and thoracic, although the adult cervical thymus is completely absent. An increase in the thymus, as well as 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 very often sick;
- lowering blood pressure - hypotension;
- tachycardia - a violation of the rhythmic work of the heart;
- genital dysplasia in both boys and girls;
- cryptorchidism;
- obesity;
- hyperhidrosis - sweating;
- low-grade fever that lasts a long time;
- the child may cough for no reason;
- a capillary pattern may be visible on the chest.
The manifestation of these symptoms, both together and separately, requires a specialist. The doctor will prescribe for the examination of the baby a set of necessary tests and studies, including an ultrasound of the thymus gland.
How is ultrasound of the thymus performed in children and adults?
If a pathology of the development of the thymus is suspected, the child is assigned an examination, which includes an ultrasound examination of the organ. It is necessary for a child to do an ultrasound of the thymus gland on the recommendation of a doctor, without evading this type of research. For children of different ages, the methodology for conducting this examination will be slightly different. Mandatory examination for certain indications should be carried out as soon as possible.
An affordable and basic method is thymus ultrasound. Features of the procedure correspond to the age of the patient. So, if the child is still too small, he is not yet 9 months old, then he should be put on a medical couch on the back, with his head slightly tilted back. For the convenience of the procedure, a special narrow pillow or a roller twisted from a regular diaper should be placed under the baby’s neck.
If the child is already sitting well, and this is an age older than 9 months, then he can be imprisoned for the study. Children aged one and a half to two years can undergo an ultrasound examination of the thymus while standing. Adults are diagnosed with a thymus gland either lying down or standing. The time survey does not last long, but may require additional methods and areas of research. However, the ultrasound of the thymus gland, the technique of which has already been carefully worked out, allows you to get information about this organ quite clearly.
Norm and deviations
The thymus gland is most active during childhood. In a newborn baby, it has a weight of 15-17 grams, and its sizes are in the range of 4-5 cm with a thickness of 6 mm. By the beginning of puberty, when the thymus stops its development, its mass should be from 28 to 34 grams, and the sizes should be in the range from 7.5 to 16 centimeters.
The technique of the examination allows you to determine the location of the thymus gland, its size according to a three-dimensional system, as well as the structure of the tissue. The thymus mass is calculated using the same parameters using a special technique and corresponding coefficients.
For children, the mass of this organ more than 30 grams is considered increased. Calculation of the mass of the thymus by a specialist according to certain methods allows him to understand whether further examination is necessary in other ways or whether the child develops within normal limits.
The average size indicators established by science are considered the norm: the height, width and length of the thymus, as well as its mass. So, 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 diagnosis. Also, ultrasound of the thymus gland in children allows you to study the consistency of the tissues that make up the body of the thymus in order to identify possible neoplasms in time, although ultrasound diagnostics is not enough to obtain a specific result in this area.
What should I do if there is a problem?
If a baby is suspected of having an immune system, the pediatrician must definitely prescribe an ultrasound of the thymus gland. In children, the norm of size and weight is the main indicator of the health of the thymus. Moreover, if the absence of this organ or its underdevelopment requires mandatory medical intervention in the form of hormonal therapy, then thymomegaly - an increase in the size and weight of the thymus gland - most often does not require emergency intervention. Usually this problem goes away by the age of 6, when the thymus becomes the size that it should be by the age of the baby.
But those children who were diagnosed with thymomegaly during the examination are shown regular monitoring, therapeutic 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 the disease - 1, 2 and 3.
A feature of the lives of children of the newborn, young and middle age is regular vaccination. When a thymomegaly of the 1st or 2nd degree is diagnosed, carrying out these preventive measures is permissible after consultation with a pediatrician and an endocrinologist. An increase in thymus at the 3rd stage involves medication from vaccination.
SPD Method: Pros and Cons
If you find any health problems, especially in a child, you should definitely consult a doctor. It would seem that such seemingly insignificant deviations, such as frequent baby crying, coughing, sweating, can 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 commonly used research methods is ultrasound of the thymus gland. The health standards of this body are determined in accordance with the age of the child. And the ultrasound diagnostic method allows you to identify the real state of health of the thymus. Like all methods of diagnosis, ultrasound has its positive aspects along with disadvantages.
Ultrasound on the positive side as a way to examine the thymus gland is:
- accessibility and technical simplicity of the method;
- painlessness;
- non-invasiveness;
- high accuracy of survey results;
- developed methods for calculating the parameters of the thymus during this examination method.
Disadvantages of ultrasound examination of the thymus gland:
- the location of the test organ inside the chest - poor accessibility to the ultrasound signal;
- small size of the thymus;
- the inability to detect 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 prescribes additional procedures that will serve as steps for making a specific diagnosis.
Health should be treated very carefully, because even minor changes in well-being can be harbingers of complex diseases, which, as they say, are easier to prevent than to treat.