Q1. What is a TSH test?

TSH test is a simple blood test that your doctor uses to find out how well your thyroid is working. Normally, the range should be 0.5-5.0uU/ml. We recommend all adults to be tested for thyroid disease beginning at age 35 and every 5 years thereafter. 

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is your body's signal to your thyroid gland to make less or more thyroid hormone. When your TSH is high, it usually means that there isn't enough thyroid hormone in your blood. This is called hypothyroidism. A low TSH level means your blood has too much thyroid hormone. This is called hyperthyroidism.
It is very convenient to do the serum TSH testing.

The normal range is from 0.5 to 5.0uU/ml. TSH testing is very useful to diagnose hypothyroidism and very important to the dosage adjustment of thyroid incretion treatment. The shortcoming is not sensitive to the low range of TSH testing. It also cannot distinguish hypothyroid status with the normal status. High serum TSH can be found when it is with low thyroid incretion or normal thyroid incretion.

Q2. What is TT4 test?
TT4 is a basic index to know whether our thyroid gland work in normal condition or not. Normally, the range should be 65-155nmol/L. A normal adult will produce T4 90ug a day. 99.97% of T4 will combine with protein (0.03% will be free, FT3) so that it will not lose with urine in kidney. Unless the patient has very serious albuminuria, most of the combined thyroid incretion and the albumen are reversible.

Q3. What is TT3?
The ration in serum that T3 connected with protein is 99.7%. The normal range of TT3 is from 1.2 to 3.2nmol/L, it is also affected by TBG. The concentration of TT3 changes parallel with TT4. But in the early period or early recrudescence period of hyperthyroidism, TT3 increased very quickly, about 4 times than the normal; TT4 increased a little bit slowly, only the 2.5 times than the normal.

Therefore, TT3 is referred to be the index to diagnose if hyperthyroidism is sensitive or not, especially in the early period of this disease and in the observation period of the treatment or to be the aura of the recrudescence. TT3 will also not be very high when patients are in old age or with long time hyperthyroidism history. 

Q4. What is FT3?

About 99.97% T4 and 99.7% T3 in plasm connected with plasm protein by non covalent bond. The Free T4 and T3 are very small. T4 or T3 that is connected with protein is in homeostasis with FT4 and FT3.

The dissociative incretion can enter into cell and connected with accepted part in the cell to affect the compound of the protein and the adjustment of the metabolism. It can also reflexly adjust the secretion of TSH in the pituitary. The thyroid protein does not affect FT4 and FT3. The state of the hypothyroid is tied up with FT3 and FT4.

The sensitiveness and special particularity far exceed TT3 and TT4. The normal range of FT4 is from 9 to 25prmol/L, FT3 is from 3 to 9pml/L(RIA). The difference exists by different laboratory.

Q5. What is rT3?

During the metabolism of the thyroid incretion, T4 gets ride of Iodine in outside of No. 5 of benzene ring will become T3. However, if the inside Iodine of No.5 of benzene releases, it will cause rT3. rT3 is not active in our body. It concentrates in the blood proportional changes with T3 and T4, especially with T4's change.

It can also to be the index of the hypothyroid. Some of the hyperthyroid only have the high rT3 when in the early stage. It increases very quickly and to be the key index if gets seriously cacotrophia or some systemic disease.
 

rT3 is useful in following:

1. To be used to diagnose hypothyroid is 100% correct. Its concentration increasing is much sensitive than TT3 and TT4. 

2. To be used to diagnose the anti-thyroid medication. TT3 falls quickly in the hyperthyroid treatment, while rT3 falls slowly.

When TT3 reaches the normal range, T4 will lower than the normal range. So, if both rT3 and T4 lower than the normal range, it means excessively in medication. 

3. To be used to diagnose hypothyroidism. For such case, rT3 is much important than TT3 and TT4. But TSH is still to be the key index to diagnose hypothyroidism.

Q6. What is antibody testing?
If it is the self-immunity related hypothyroidism, the antibodies can be tested in the blood. In fact, all the Hashimoto disease and most of the Graves disease have the (antibodies) Thyroid Throub and TMAb. TMAb is treated as catalase amtibpdoes.

The judgment way is TRCA or RIA. The former is to use cell to adsorb hypothyroid globin or microsome. And then add serum of the sufferer. If the serum has such antibodies of antigen, then it can let the cell to agglomerate.
 

During the early period of the self-immunity related hypothyroid, titration of antibodies rise and then drop after years. High titration means Hashimoto or Graves. Low titration also can be found in the hypothyroid and hypothyroid cancer. 15% old women can find TGAb because they have the Hashimoto which is not found. Low titration also can be found in some other self-immunity related disease, such as insulin depended on diabetes or malign anaemia.

The electropositive TGAb or TMAb increase with age. About 20% of patients have such electropositive antibodies. The titration of Hashimoto usually is high to 1:1000000 and with the whole life. The pregnancy incretion treatment can let antibodies titration drop.

 

Q7. What is TRH testing?

This testing is to get the blood sample to test the serum TSH basic figure. After injecting 500ug of TRH in vein, then get serum again after 30min and 60min to test TSH again.

The normal person after 40 years old can increase 2-5 times or at least 6uU/ml. Female is sensitive than male. The reaction of 40 years old male is much slower, and 2uU/ml for them is normal. hypothyroidism is not sensitive for such testing. This testing is very helpful to hypothyroid patients who do not have much increased serum thyroid incretion.

Q8. What is T3 testing?

T3 testing is to judge whether high Iodine 131 absorption rate is caused by hypothyroid or goiter. The way is: After test Iodine 131 absorption rate, have T320ug, 3 times every day, last for 6 days (or have thyroxine 60mg, 3 times every day, last for 8 days).

Then test Iodine 131 absorption rate again and compare the 2 results.Normal repressive rate is large than 50%. It means hypothyroid has normal adjustment relationship with pituitary. And it is can be diagnosed that the patients do not have hypothyroidism. Repressive rate which is lower than 25% is less of restrain, and it can be diagnosed to be hypothyroid. Repressive rate between 25% and 50% is partially restrained. It can be diagnosed to be doubtful hypothyroidism, and needed to be analyzed with other figures.

Q9. What is TSAb testing?

The electropositive rate of TSAb in Graves patient can reach 80% to 95%. It is meaningful to the early diagnose, the state of the illness and whether it will recrudesce or not. And it can be the key index of stopping medicine .  

Q 10. What is Ultrasonic Test?

Ultrasonic test is very important in diagnosis and therapy. It uses very high frequent sound wave to reach our organs and get the image with sound wave refract back. It is used to check organs shape, size, position and working condition inside our body. It is very safe, quick, to check nodules in human body. Patients do not need to expose to radiation, without paining and side-effect. Even pregnant women and baby are safe to use it.  

Q11. What is Fine Needle Biopsy?

FNB is fine needle biopsy. When doctor finds there are nodules / goiter inside patients' body. Doctor will suggest that patients should have FNB. It is commonly used to check the nodules / goiters whether cancerous or not. Doctor will use very small needle to get very small tissues from nodules or organ surface and then submit it to professional tester to check the abnormal organ, pathogeny, cancer and infection.

Fine Needle Aspiration I often used, too. this is done with a fine needle to sting in side patient body to collect body fluid or tissues. The procedures of FNA and FNB basically are the same. Sometimes they will be done together. The location will be confirmed with ultrasound wave or CT.  

Q12. Thyroid Nodules and Cancer?

A thyroid nodule is a lump or growth in your thyroid gland. Many thyroid nodules go undetected by both you and your doctor. What is more, many thyroid nodules that are discovered? However, about 10 percent of thyroid nodules are cancerous.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with thyroid nodules, you will be glad to learn the recovery rate is very high with “Thyroid-Throu” treatment. 
 

You may discover a thyroid nodule yourself, or your doctor may find one during a routine exam. If a thyroid nodule is found, you will probably undergo several tests to determine if the nodule is cancerous and whether it requires treatment. These tests may include:
- A TSH test to determine the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone in your bloodstream 

- A thyroid imaging test (a type of X-ray) to show if your thyroid is functioning normally 

- An ultrasound to show the exact size and location of the nodule 

- A biopsy to determine if the thyroid nodule is benign or cancerous