The complex system of the human body is the immune system. She is responsible for all the processes that occur with a person from the moment of his birth until his death. If there are any violations in the operation of the system, this will necessarily affect the state of he alth. Ultrasound of the thymus will identify possible problems with this part of the immune system and eliminate them in time.
"Nanny" thymus
He alth is the most important we alth of a person. The body has a whole system that ensures that unnecessary "guests" are removed in time in the form of viruses, bacteria, "bad" cells that carry problems and diseases. The thymus gland plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system. If there are problems in the work of this organ, then an ultrasound of the thymus should be done. Indications for such a procedure are deviations in a person's well-being.
Thymus is a kind of incubator where T-cells of the immune system are born, grow, learn to work further. So the thymus gland is a kind of babysitter for the most important component of the human body's defense system.
Guard T cells
Thymus-grown T cells(T-lymphocytes) play a very important role in human he alth. In the course of their development, they are divided into several groups, the two large ones are T-helper cells and T-killer cells. The thymus also produces certain lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens. Although their role is different, they are nowhere without each other. Helper T cells (helpers) help recognize danger in the form of antigens, forcing the body to actively respond to such an invasion. Killer T cells (killers) hunt for damaged body cells 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 gland and child he alth
All organs and systems of the human body are formed during pregnancy. The thymus gland appears and begins to develop from about the 6th week of pregnancy. But even after the birth of a little man, this important organ does not stop in its development. Until about age 14, that is, before the onset of puberty, the thymus develops.
Ultrasound of the thymus in children allows you to identify possible pathologies of its development to prevent he alth problems. For a one-year-old baby, this organ serves as the main defense 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 to protect he alth. It happens that the thymusnewborns are enlarged, may be absent altogether or 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 an 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 by old age it is maximally reduced. Moreover, the thymus itself also undergoes involutional changes - at the age of 75-80 years, 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 is actively reflected in the thymus gland. That is why it ceases to develop, although it works throughout a person's life in a regressive manner. If you perform an ultrasound of the thymus in adults, you will see a change in the tissue of the organ with its gradual replacement with stroma and fat and a significant decrease in size.
What can pathology of the thymus lead to?
Improper development of the thymus gland, violation of its functions adversely affects human he alth, 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 andneoplasms threaten the he alth 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 is an adequate method for the timely recognition of its pathologies.
Why is an ultrasound of the thymus performed?
There are several methods for examining the state of the thymus - radiography, tomography, ultrasound. The most popular and affordable way to examine this organ is ultrasound of the thymus. What is this survey? Ultrasound diagnostics allows a gentle method to examine the necessary and accessible organs for this study option. During the procedure, pathologies are detected in the size of the thymus, its tissues, as well as its location. This allows you to get reliable information about the work of the thymus gland, as well as prescribe additional examination methods if some parameters differ from the norm. A comprehensive examination of the work of an important human immune organ will prevent the development of serious complications.
Signs of problems with the thymus
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 in an adult the cervical thymus is completely absent. An increase in the thymus, as well as its absence, leads to serious he alth problems. Symptoms of problems with the work and development of the thymusthe following:
- violation of the immune system, the child gets sick very often;
- lowering blood pressure - hypotension;
- tachycardia - violation of the rhythmic work of the heart;
- genital dysplasia in both boys and girls;
- cryptorchism;
- obesity;
- hyperhidrosis - sweating;
- subfebrile temperature that lasts for a long time;
- 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 visit to a specialist. The doctor will prescribe a set of necessary tests and studies for examining the baby, including ultrasound of the thymus gland.
How is an ultrasound of the thymus performed in children and adults?
If a pathology of the development of the thymus is suspected, the child is prescribed an examination, which includes an ultrasound examination of the organ. It is necessary to make an ultrasound of the thymus gland for a child on the recommendation of a doctor, without deviating from 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 early as possible.
Affordable and basic method - ultrasound of the thymus. 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 placed on a medical couch on his back, with his head slightly tilted back. For the convenience of the procedure,the neck of the baby must be placed on a special narrow pillow or roller, twisted from a regular diaper.
If the child is already sitting well, and this age is over 9 months, then he can be planted for research. Children aged one and a half to two years can undergo an ultrasound of the thymus while standing. Adults undergo a thymus test either lying down or standing up. Time-based surveys are short, but may require additional modes and areas of study. However, ultrasound of the thymus, the technique of which has already been carefully developed, allows you to quite clearly obtain information about this organ.
Norm and deviations
The thymus gland is most active during a person's childhood. In a newborn baby, it has a weight of 15-17 grams, and its dimensions 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 its dimensions should be in the range from 7.5 to 16 centimeters.
The method of conducting an examination allows you to determine the location of the thymus gland, its size in a three-dimensional system, as well as the structure of the tissue. Using the same parameters, using a special method and the corresponding coefficients, the thymus mass is calculated.
For children, the mass of this organ is more than 30 grams is considered increased. The calculation of the mass of the thymus by a specialist in certain methods allows him to understand whether further examination is necessary in other ways, or whether the child is developing within the normal range.
The norm is considered to be the average size indicators established by science: 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 you suspect problems with the baby's immune system, the pediatrician must prescribe an ultrasound of the thymus gland. In children, the norm of size and weight is the main indicator of the he alth 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 mass 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 it should be for the baby's age.
But those children who were diagnosed with "thymomegaly" during the examination 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 the disease - 1, 2 and 3.
A feature of children's livesnewborn, junior and middle age is a regular vaccination. When making a diagnosis of thymomegaly of the 1st or 2nd degree, these preventive measures are permissible after consultation with a pediatrician and an endocrinologist. Enlargement of the thymus at stage 3 suggests a medical exemption from vaccination.
Ultrasound method: pros and cons
If you find any he alth problems, especially in a child, you must definitely consult a doctor. It would seem that deviations so insignificant at first glance, such as frequent crying of a baby, coughing, sweating, may be the first signs of a serious problem, for example, with the state of the immune system and the thymus in particular. One of the most frequently used research methods is ultrasound of the thymus. The he alth standards of this body are determined in accordance with the age of the child. And the method of ultrasound diagnostics allows you to identify the real state of he alth of the thymus. Like all methods of diagnosis, ultrasound has its advantages along with disadvantages.
Ultrasound from the positive side as a way to examine the thymus is:
- availability and technical simplicity of the method;
- painless;
- non-invasive;
- high accuracy of survey results;
- developed methods for calculating thymus parameters during this examination method.
Disadvantages of ultrasound for examination of the thymus:
- finding the organ under study inside the chest -poor accessibility for ultrasound signal;
- small size of the thymus;
- impossibility of detecting pathological changes in the tissues of the organ.
But even despite some problems, ultrasound of the thymus is the primary informative method of examination. Based on the results of this study, the doctor prescribes additional procedures that will serve as stepping stones for a specific diagnosis.
He alth 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.
