Power Doppler sonography in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease

• Published in: European journal of ultrasound Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 117 - 122
• Main Authors: Arslan, Halil, Unal, Ozkan, Algün, Ekrem, Harman, Mustafa, Sakarya, M.Emin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.05.2000
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Female; Graves Disease - diagnostic imaging; Graves’ disease; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Power Doppler sonography; Thyroid; Thyroid Gland - blood supply; Thyroid Gland - diagnostic imaging; Ultrasonography, Doppler; Graves’ disease; Power Doppler sonography; Thyroid
• ISSN: 0929-8266
• DOI: 10.1016/S0929-8266(99)00079-8

In addition to color and pulsed Doppler sonography findings, we aimed to describe power Doppler sonography findings in Graves’ disease in this study. Twenty-three patients with Graves’ disease were imaged with gray-scale, color and power Doppler sonography. Twenty normal volunteers were examined by the same equipment and the same technique as a control group. A subjective grading system was used to categorize the vascularization in pulsed Doppler sonography images from normal to markedly increased vascularization. Power Doppler sonography exhibited diffuse hypervascularity in the thyroid gland in all patients. The flow was covering about all the parenchyma. Four patients showed mild, 12 patients moderate and seven patients marked vascularity. The intensity of power Doppler flow pattern was not correlated with the severity of the disease. This study demonstrated that power Doppler sonography is a convenient, time saving, inexpensive and noninvasive method as compared with isotope scan and some other laboratory tests for confirmation of Graves’ disease.