Fig 1.
Comparisons between ultrasound estimates and post-mortem measurements in calves.
For each measurement, gHedges, Welch t-test with p value, the confidence interval, the number of measurements, the distribution graph and the mean are available.
Fig 2.
Comparisons between ultrasound estimates and post-mortem measurements in cows.
For each measurement, gHedges, Welch t-test with p value, the confidence interval, the number of measurements, the distribution graph and the mean are available.
Table 1.
Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the measurements (cm) made at ultrasound (US) and post-mortem examinations in calves and cows.
Fig 3.
Bland–Altman plot between ultrasound estimates and post-mortem measurements in calves.
Dashed lines represent the 95% confidence interval. Graph shows the data as dots. The dotted line indicates the average difference between log2 transformed data of -0.27 and the dashed lines indicate the Limits of Agreement: -1.56 & 1.02. The Shapiro-Wilk test of the difference indicates a p-value of 0.4692 which does support a normal distribution. The grey bands reflect the 95% confidence interval. The number of datapoints is 23.
Fig 4.
Bland–Altman plot between ultrasound estimates and post-mortem measurements in cows.
Dashed lines represent the 95% confidence interval. Graph shows the data as dots. The dotted line indicates the average difference between log2 transformed data of 0.95 and the dashed lines indicate the Limits of Agreement: -1.25 & 3.16. The Shapiro-Wilk test of the difference indicates a p-value of 0.7031 which does support a normal distribution. The grey bands reflect the 95% confidence interval (CI). The number of datapoints is 22. The slope of the difference has 95% CI [0.01, 0.03] that does not include zero, suggesting a proportional bias.
Fig 5.
Ultrasound (A,B) and post-mortem pictures of the thyroid gland (C,D). The red and blue circles show the cysts visible on ultrasound, post-mortem examination and histology. The gland in post-mortem examination is cut in transversal section, where the cyst was supposed to be on ultrasound examination. The cyst circled in blue measures between 1 and 2 mm in diameter and is represented histologically in Fig 7 (A,B,C).
Fig 6.
Ultrasound (A) and histological pictures, haematoxylin-Eosin stain. (B, C, D, E) of a follicular cyst 1 cm x 0.4 cm. (A) Sagittal view of the left lobe. The cyst appears as a structure bordered by a hyperechoic border and anechoic contents. (B) Magnification x 40, the cyst appears to be bordered by a simple epithelium (blue arrow) filled with pink-stained colloid. The follicle is surrounded by collagen fibers from the connective tissue (red arrow). (C) Magnification x 100, view of the cyst and the adjoining thyroid parenchyma. The thyroid follicles appear to be crushed by the follicle, and the slide shows around 90% follicular hypoplasia. The cyst is composed of inactive epithelium, flattened in places (blue arrow), and active epithelium in others (red arrow). (D) Magnification x400, this view shows a more cubic, active epithelium (blue arrow). The multi-layered appearance is attributed to an alteration in the sample and is rather artefactual (E) Magnification x400, this view shows the flattened epithelium (blue arrow). The nucleus is centered and no endocytosis vesicle is visible in the cytoplasm. The vascularisation around the follicle is abundant. In (D) and (E), collagen fibers can be seen organised concentrically around the cyst (red arrows).
Fig 7.
Histological pictures, haematoxylin-Eosin stain (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) of a follicular cyst (A, B, C), follicular hypoplasia (E, F, G) and fat infiltration (A, D) of cow’s thyroids. (A) Magnification x 40, cyst in relation to the follicular tissue (D,E) Magnification x 100; (B,C,F,G) Magnification x 400. (A,B,C) The cyst is a large fluid-filled follicle whose epithelium is not homogeneously active: in places, the epithelium is flattened (B, C, black arrows), the central nucleus with condensed chromatin and the inactive cell containing little cytoplasm with fine, slightly eosinophilic granulations; in other places, the epithelium is cubic (C, blue arrows) with granular, slightly eosinophilic cytoplasm and a clear, decondensed nucleus. Compared with (E), in (A) the cyst is larger and detectable by US. (A,D) Appearance of a thyroid gland in a Belgian Blue cow at the end of fattening: infiltration of interstitial tissue by fat. Glandular tissue is more widely spaced than in the thyroid of a thin animal. There is no associated fatty degeneration. (E) Follicular hypoplasia, large follicles filled with colloid. Thyroid parenchyma is 60% hypoplastic on this slide. Once again, this follicle is made up of two populations of cells: ; rectangular active cells with a decondensed nucleus, an abundant granular, slightly eosinophilic cytoplasm with endocytosis vesicles; flattened inactive cells with a condensed nucleus, little cytoplasm with fine, slightly eosinophilic granulations (G).
Fig 8.
Histology of a hyperplastic thyroid gland in a calf, haematoxylin-Eosin stain (A, B, C). Follicular hyperplasia is characterized by an increase in the number of follicular cells. (A) Magnification x 200. The general appearance of the thyroid gland is irregular, and abnormally cellular. It is composed of follicles containing colloid with an irregular, flattened or elongated shape, with digitations (black arrow). Some follicles have a regular shape with colloid and an active epithelium (blue arrow). In other areas, the follicles are small, without colloid (green arrow). (B,C) Magnification x 400. (B) In the area containing the empty round follicles, the cells are cubic, the cell nuclei are decondensed and positioned at the base of the cell, and the cytoplasm is granular at the apical pole. (C) The follicle illustrated here has an irregular shape with digitations (black arrows). The epithelial cells are cubic, the nuclei are round, decondensed with clearly visible chromatin, sometimes with 1 or 2 nucleoli visible. The cells appear very tightly packed together, sometimes giving the impression of a multi-layered epithelium (blue arrows).