Sonographic Evaluation of Normal Thyroid Gland Volume in Nigerian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Benin City

Sonographic Evaluation of Normal Thyroid Gland Volume in Nigerian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Benin City | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sonographic Evaluation of Normal Thyroid Gland Volume in Nigerian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Benin City Osato Asemota-Igbinovia, Tobechukwu Marchie, Kenneth Eze, Sulaimon Araromi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9157719/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background : Thyroid volume reference values are highly essential for diagnosing goitre and monitoring treatment. It varies across populations due to genetic, environmental, and geographical factors. This study aims to establish reference ranges for thyroid gland volume in Nigerian adults using ultrasonography and to assess correlations with demographic and anthropometric variables. Methods : A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital from January to December 2010. 384 healthy adult volunteers without history of thyroid disease underwent thyroid ultrasonography. Thyroid lobe volumes were calculated. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, BMI, and BSA were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0 with Pearson correlation coefficient for variable relationships. Results : The median total thyroid gland volume was 13.20 cm^3 in males and 9.22 cm^3 in females (p<0.05) Mean thyroid volumes were 13.37±0.48 cm³ in males and 9.41±0.48 cm^3 in females, with males having significantly larger volumes (p<0.001). Thyroid volume correlated positively with height (p<0.05), body surface area (p<0.05), weight (p<0.05), and body mass index( p<0.05). Height and BSA were the strongest predictors. Right-handed individuals had larger left thyroid lobes (6.29±0.86 cm^3 ), compared to right lobes (5.79±0.72 cm^3 ), while left-handed individuals showed reversed asymmetry (p<0.05). Conclusions : This study establishes reference ranges for thyroid volume in Nigerian adults with significant gender differences and correlations with anthropometric parameters, particularly height and BSA. These values are essential for clinical assessment of thyroid enlargement in the Nigerian population and demonstrate substantially lower volumes compared to international reference values. Thyroid gland Ultrasonography Reference values Body surface area Anthropometry Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9157719","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608161560,"identity":"d6db1066-0734-409d-bae1-74d290490818","order_by":0,"name":"Osato 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It varies across populations due to genetic, environmental, and geographical factors. This study aims to establish reference ranges for thyroid gland volume in Nigerian adults using ultrasonography and to assess correlations with demographic and anthropometric variables.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital from January to December 2010. 384 healthy adult volunteers without history of thyroid disease underwent thyroid ultrasonography. Thyroid lobe volumes were calculated. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, BMI, and BSA were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0 with Pearson correlation coefficient for variable relationships.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e The median total thyroid gland volume was 13.20 cm^3 in males and 9.22 cm^3 in females (p\u0026lt;0.05) Mean thyroid volumes were 13.37±0.48 cm³ in males and 9.41±0.48 cm^3 in females, with males having significantly larger volumes (p\u0026lt;0.001). Thyroid volume correlated positively with height (p\u0026lt;0.05), body surface area (p\u0026lt;0.05), weight (p\u0026lt;0.05), and body mass index( p\u0026lt;0.05). Height and BSA were the strongest predictors. Right-handed individuals had larger left thyroid lobes (6.29±0.86 cm^3 ), compared to right lobes (5.79±0.72 cm^3 ), while left-handed individuals showed reversed asymmetry (p\u0026lt;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e This study establishes reference ranges for thyroid volume in Nigerian adults with significant gender differences and correlations with anthropometric parameters, particularly height and BSA. 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