The thyroid function of ten patients with Legg-Perthes disease was studied by means of clinical examination, chemical serum protein-bound-iodine determination, and twenty-four-hour thyroid uptakes. Salivary radioactive iodine concentration was also measured in seven of the ten patients.
Three patients had slightly elevated serum protein-bound-iodine levels, but the other tests and subsequent normal protein-bound-iodine determinations satisfactorily ruled out hyperthyroidism.
Two patients showed definite asymmetry of radioactive-iodine uptake in the thyroid gland. We cannot rule out the possibility of hyperfunctioning adenoma in these patients, but over-all thyroid function was normal.
There was no evidence of hypothyroidism in any of the patients.