The Clinical Value of Microvascular Ultrasonography in Real-time Differential Diagnosis of Thyrotoxic Patients Between Hyperthyroidism and Thyroiditis

Thyrotoxicosis refers to the appearance of various clinical symptoms or signs due to and excessive increase of thyroid hormone in the body. Graves' disease, which causes thyrotoxicosis, is one of the most common autoimmune diseases and is known to account for 0.5% of the population. Precise discrimination between Graves' disease and painless thyroiditis/subacute thyroiditis is clinically very important in determining treatment methods.

The Microvascular flow imaging technology is expected to show higher sensitivity and accuracy than conventional color Doppler images in differentiating patients between Graves' disease and painless thyroiditis/subacute thyroiditis. We enrolled thyrotoxicosis patients in their initial presentation and used RS85 Ultrasound device manufactured by Samsung Medison to discriminate Graves' disease and painless thyroiditis/subacute thyroiditis. Power / Color doppler ultrasound imaging and conventional ultrasound imaging were used. Tranverse and longitudinal plane of the dominant lobe were selected for imaging. Doppler Adler's method was used to asscess vascularization. To assess the vascularity index, which is defined by Blood pixel in range of image / Total pixel in range of image, we selected the total tranverse plane of the thyroid as range of image.