Background: Proposed objective criteria that define 4 possible forms of the thyroid gland. Studied variant anatomy of the muscles of the infrahyoid area. Their intersection in the course of performing surgical access to the organs of the neck can cause additional bleeding, hematoma formation, and subsequently to the formation of rough postoperative scar. Peculiarities of distribution of thyroid tissue in the frontal and sagittal plane of the fetal human and adult persons should be used in the study of embryogenesis. Material and methods: The objects of study included 470 dead people. Linear dimensions of the side lobes and isthmus of the thyroid gland was measured using a specially designed device that allows simultaneous measurement of anatomical structures in three dimensions. To study the characteristics of the topography and shape of the thyroid gland in the embryonic aspect was used 31 human fetus. Results: based on the data of the conducted analysis, we can distinguish four forms of thyroid: gland with a maximum value of the angle between the axes of the lateral lobes; glands with a minimum value of this angle; glands with a maximum length of axes of the side lobes and the maximum distance between their upper poles; glands with a minimum length of the axes of the side lobes and the minimum distance between their upper poles. The peculiarities of the topography and structure of the accessory muscles of the infrahyoid area should be taken into account when performing operative accesses to the front of the neck. Conclusions: proposed objective criteria for determining the shape of the thyroid gland can be used to estimate the shape of the gland in diagnostic ultrasound the ultrasound investigations and during operations on the neck.

Background: Proposed objective criteria that define 4 possible forms of the thyroid gland. Studied variant anatomy of the muscles of the infrahyoid area. Their intersection in the course of performing surgical access to the organs of the neck can cause additional bleeding, hematoma formation, and subsequently to the formation of rough postoperative scar. Peculiarities of distribution of thyroid tissue in the frontal and sagittal plane of the fetal human and adult persons should be used in the study of embryogenesis. Material and methods: The objects of study included 470 dead people. Linear dimensions of the side lobes and isthmus of the thyroid gland was measured using a specially designed device that allows simultaneous measurement of anatomical structures in three dimensions. To study the characteristics of the topography and shape of the thyroid gland in the embryonic aspect was used 31 human fetus. Results: based on the data of the conducted analysis, we can distinguish four forms of thyroid: gland with a maximum value of the angle between the axes of the lateral lobes; glands with a minimum value of this angle; glands with a maximum length of axes of the side lobes and the maximum distance between their upper poles; glands with a minimum length of the axes of the side lobes and the minimum distance between their upper poles. The peculiarities of the topography and structure of the accessory muscles of the infrahyoid area should be taken into account when performing operative accesses to the front of the neck. Conclusions: proposed objective criteria for determining the shape of the thyroid gland can be used to estimate the shape of the gland in diagnostic ultrasound the ultrasound investigations and during operations on the neck.