This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Palpation from behind

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Palpation is best done from the behind with the patient's neck slightly flexed to relax the sternomastoid muscles. Both hands are placed with the fingers over the gland, feeling for both lobes of the gland and its isthmus.

The sternomastoid may be pulled back with the fingers.

  • estimate the size and feel for the lower border of the thyroid; absence may signify retrosternal extension

  • shape - nodular or multinodular

  • consistency:
    • soft is normal
    • firm - simple goitre, Hashimoto's
    • stony hard - carcinoma, calcification, cyst, fibrosis, Hashimoto's
    • woody and tender - acute thyroiditis

  • tenderness - suggests thyroiditis

  • mobility - carcinoma may tether the gland.

Measurement accurately charts the size.

Localised swellings may be better defined from the front.

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.