| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4233169 | Journal of Medical Ultrasound | 2009 | 8 Pages |
BackgroundColor Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) has been used for the diagnosis of diffuse and nodular thyroid diseases as a noninvasive assessment method for the evaluation of blood flow for nearly two decades. The study was undertaken to determine vascularity of the thyroid gland using CDUS and the inferior thyroidal artery (ITA) in the hypothyroid patients and evaluate their relationship with the efficacy of the medical treatment for hypothyroidism.Patients and MethodsA total of 42 patients with hypothyroidism were evaluated clinically by laboratory tests regarding the thyroid function and by CDUS for estimation of the parenchymal color flow pattern (PCFP) of the thyroid gland and the measurement of the maximum systolic velocity (MSV) in the ITA both before and after medical treatment for 6 months.ResultsThe mean thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and MSV values of the ITA which were noted before and after therapy as 25.7 ± 26.7μIU/mL, 35.5 ± 10.1 cm/sec and 1.6 ± 0.8 μIU/mL, 31.0 ± 10.2 cm/sec respectively were significantly different (p < 0.001, p = 0.02, respectively). The PCFP did not change in 29 patients, whereas in 10 patients it changed to a lower grade and in three patients to a higher grade. By comparison of the patients without any change in PCFP and those with a change to lower grade, significant differences for the decrease of TSH and MSV of the ITA were noted (p = 0.035 and p = 0.027, respectively).ConclusionMSV of the ITA, as well as PCFP, can be used to assess the vascularity of the thyroid gland in the hypothyroidism. The vascular change of PCFP and decreased MSV of the ITA after thyroid hormone replacement may have a adjuvant role for determining the effects of medical treatment in the hypothyroidism in addition to hormonal evaluation.
