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Thyroid Ultrasound Findings 7 Years after the Chernobyl Accident

Aims: The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station occurred in April 1986. We report on a comparative epidemiological study on thyroid abnormalities in the contaminated and uncontaminated populations of the Bryansk region, South-West Russia, in 1993, 7 years after the accident. Material and Methods: The study material consisted of all inhabitants aged 3–34 years in the contaminated village of Mirnyi and in the uncontaminated village of Krasnyi Rog, excluding those who had moved to the villages after the accident. The total material comprised 302 inhabitants in Mirnyi and 200 in Krasnyi Rog. Results: No pathological US findings in either village were found in children born after the accident. In the age group 0–9 years old at the time of the accident, the prevalence of thyroid abnormalities was 8.1% in the contaminated village compared to 1.6% in the uncontaminated village. In the age group 10–27 years the corresponding figures were 18.8% and 17.7%. Only 55% of the pathological US findings were detected by physical palpation. Conclusion: The total prevalence of thyroid abnormalities was higher among children in the contaminated village. We recommend an active screening of young contaminated subjects with US, supplemented with fine needle biopsy.