Duplex Doppler Ultrasonography for the Functional Evaluation of Diffuse Thyroid Diseases

It was reported in the literature that increased arterial flow in the thyroid was not only seen in Graves' disease with hyperthyroidism, but was also seen in Hashimoto's thyroiditis with hypothyroidism. Clinically, increased cardiac output is usually a sign of the former rather than the latter. Ultrasonographic assessment of the hemodynamic changes in the arteries of the systemic circulation, therefore, could be of value in differentiating between these two diffuse autoimmune diseases. Thus, it has been suggested that, for the functional evaluation of diffuse thyroid diseases, assessment of the peak systolic velocity of the thyroid arteries and the common carotid arteries should be performed ultrasonographically.