Clinical assessment of thyroid function has changed dramatically over the past two decades. The clinical laboratory has been an integral part of this change by improving the performance of its assays.  In addition, many laboratories have added several new immunoassays to measure serum antibodies and provided clinicians with shorter turn-around-times for laboratory tests, 24 hours-7- days per week testing, and a knowledgeable technical staff to ensure quality laboratory results for their patients.

The goal of this course is to facilitate the participants understanding of the clinical usefulness of thyroid function tests commonly measured in the laboratory. Details of the analytical performance characteristics of selected tests will be included. Medical criteria available for the assessment of patients is presented and reinforced with several patient cases.