[Assessing the effectiveness of removing iodized salt on iodine excessive goiter using thyroid volume reference for body surface area].

Objective: Using the thyroid volume criteria for body surface area (BSA) to assess more precisely the effectiveness of removing iodized salt on the goiter status of children living in areas with excessive iodine in drinking water.

Methods: Three towns with median water iodine (MWI) of 150-300 µg/L were selected by simple random method in Hengshui city of Hebei province of China in May of 2010. A total of 452 and 459 children in the 3 towns were randomly selected to measure thyroid volume by ultrasound.