Applicability of Thyroxine Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging in Evaluations of Thyroid Function in Turtles.

Introduction: The thyroid and parathyroid glands play a major role in maintaining physiological homeostasis in all vertebrates. Reptiles have plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones far lower than mammals. Low levels of these hormones in reptiles impede thyroid hormone detection with assays designed for the higher levels of mammals.