Gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic findings in a case of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis mimicking thyroid carcinoma

Subacute granulomatous thyroiditis is a common disease of unknown cause and is usually self-limiting, with complete resolution of symptoms occurring spontaneously or after steroidal treatment. We report a case of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis in a 62-year-old woman whose clinical presentation was consistent with thyroid carcinoma. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonography revealed marked enlargement of the left lobe of the thyroid and markedly hypoechoic, ill-defined focal areas in both lobes. No flow was noted on color Doppler sonographic examination. Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid was performed, and histopathologic examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis. The patient received prednisolone therapy (20 mg/day) for 2 weeks and recovered well. This case report is the first to describe the gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic appearances of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis. This disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with clinical signs and symptoms of thyroid carcinoma. Histopathologic examination is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.     

Tuberculous ileitis in a renal transplant recipient with familial Mediterranean fever: Gray-scale and power Doppler sonographic findings

The ileocecal area is the most common site of involvement of intestinal tuberculosis. We report the case of a 26-year-old renal transplant recipient with familial Mediterranean fever who developed tuberculous ileitis. Gray-scale sonography and CT showed circumferential thickening of the bowel wall and enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes. Power Doppler sonography revealed markedly increased vascularity in the wall of the affected ileal segment and in the mesenteric nodes. Some nodes had no flow at the center owing to caseation necrosis, a finding consistent with the diagnosis of tuberculous ileitis. Colonoscopy was performed, and histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens revealed acute inflammatory changes. Cultures of the specimens confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We conclude that findings on power Doppler sonography may support a diagnosis of tuberculous ileitis and avoid clinical mismanagement.     

Renal infarct: contrast-enhanced power Doppler sonographic findings

Power Doppler sonography (PDUS) is a promising technique for the diagnosis of renal infarcts. PDUS's efficacy may be enhanced by using sonographic contrast agents. We evaluated 3 cases of renal infarction using PDUS and the sonographic contrast agent Levovist. The findings were compared with those of other imaging modalities, such as scintigraphy, CT, and angiography. In case 1, PDUS showed a patent interlobar artery only in the lower part of the right kidney and no other perfusion of the right renal parenchyma. Contrast-enhanced PDUS showed patchy areas of preserved perfusion in the lower and middle-upper anterior portions of the kidney. In case 2, PDUS showed diffuse and patchy perfusion defects in the anterolateral portion of the right kidney. On contrast-enhanced PDUS, no signal enhancement was seen in these areas, but the perfusion defects were better delineated. In case 3, PDUS showed no perfusion in the upper pole of the kidney; the nonperfused area extended to the posterior upper portion of the kidney but could not be distinguished from normal tissue. After injection of the contrast agent, there was no enhancement of the posterior extension of the upper pole infarct, but Doppler signals from the surrounding normal parenchyma were enhanced, so the area was more clearly demarcated. The administration of the contrast agent facilitated the visualization of the infarcts in all 3 cases.     

甲状腺乳头状癌的多普勒超声特征与淋巴结转移的关系

目的:探讨甲状腺乳头状癌(papillary thyroid carcinoma,PTC)的多普勒超声特征及其与颈部淋巴结转移情况间的关系。方法:采用彩色多普勒超声评估162例患者的169个PTC结节;另采用脉冲多普勒超声评估同一批80例患者的80个PTC结节。彩色多普勒超声主要评估癌结节的血管模式和血供程度。脉冲多普勒主要分析血流流速曲线的参数,包括收缩期峰值血流速度(peak systolic velocity,PSV)、搏动指数(pulsatility index,PI)、阻力指数(resistance index,RI)、PSV差值、PI差值和RI差值。将上述超声特征与颈部淋巴结转移作单因素分析,研究各超声特征与颈部淋巴结转移情况间的关系。结果:多普勒超声上,与颈部淋巴结转移有关的超声特征主要有癌结节的血供程度及RI差值。结论:特定的多普勒超声特征可在一定程度上提示PTC发生颈部淋巴结转移的可能性。     

Correlation of computerized gray-scale sonographic findings with thyroid function and thyroid autoimmune activity in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to retrospectively assess whether computerized gray-scale sonography can allow objective measurement of thyroid echogenicity in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) at various functional stages of the disease. METHODS: Of the 77 patients with HT who were included in our study, 28 had been euthyroid, 20 had had subclinical hypothyroidism, and 29 had had clinical hypothyroidism. Of those with clinical hypothyroidism, 6 had been untreated and 23 had been receiving L-thyroxine substitution therapy. Fifty volunteers without thyroid disease served as a control group. Thyroid echogenicity was evaluated by computerized gray-scale sonography as mean tissue density (MTD) +/- standard deviation; the echogenicity of the prethyroid muscles served as a control of the system variability. RESULTS: The MTD was significantly lower for the patients with HT (15.9 +/- 4) than for the control subjects (24.3 +/- 3; p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant difference was found between the MTD values of euthyroid patients with HT (18.9 +/- 3.4) and hypothyroid patients with HT analyzed either as a group (14.3 +/- 3.8) or separately for subclinical hypothyroidism (14.9 +/- 3.8) and clinical hypothyroidism (13.9 +/- 3.7; p < 0.05). The lowest MTD was found in patients with untreated clinical hypothyroidism (11.1 +/- 4.3), with a significant difference (p < 0.05) compared to all other groups of patients. Untreated patients with clinical hypothyroidism also showed the highest mean anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibody levels (1,286 +/- 177 IU/ml versus 570 +/- 489 IU/ml for L-thyroxine-treated patients; p < 0.05), although no correlation between the MTD values and anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibody levels was found in any group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Computerized gray-scale sonography provides an objective measure of thyroid hypoechogenicity, which correlates well to the clinical stages of HT. Use of this modality may prove beneficial in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with HT.     

Posterior mediastinal arteriovenous malformation with atypical color Doppler sonographic findings

An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an anomaly of capillary development that results in a direct connection between branches of an artery and veins, with no intervening capillary network. A definite diagnosis of AVM is usually made with angiography. We report the case of a posterior mediastinal AVM found on routine sonography in a 64-year-old woman with neglected hypertension and severe back pain. Color Doppler imaging showed 2 adjoined vascular structures without a typical mosaic-like flow pattern, and spectral Doppler analysis showed low-resistance flow and arteriovenous shunting in 2 adjoined vascular structures. The diagnosis was subsequently confirmed by angiography. Because disastrous bleeding could result if needle biopsy were performed inadvertently in the case of a suspected mediastinal AVM, we suggest that color Doppler sonography be attempted if there is an adequate acoustic window.     

Gray-scale and color Doppler findings in bilateral internal jugular vein thrombosis caused by anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid

Bilateral internal jugular vein thrombosis is a rare complication of thyroid cancer. The most common manifestation of this condition is superior vena cava syndrome. We report the sonographic findings in a case of bilateral internal jugular vein thrombosis with mild symptoms. There was evidence of direct infiltration of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma into the left internal jugular vein. Sonographic and CT examinations also demonstrated multiple dilated collateral veins.     

二维及彩色多普勒超声对桥本氏病及合并症的诊断

目的：探讨二维及彩色多普勒超声对桥本氏病及合并症的诊断价值。方法：通过对37例经病理证实的单纯桥本氏病及合并症进行二维及彩色多普勒超声显像对比分析。结果：37例中,单纯桥本氏病23例,占62．16％,诊断符合率为73．91％（17／23）。桥本氏病合并症14例,占37．84％,部分诊断符合率（诊断了合并症）为57．14％（8／14）。23例单纯桥本氏病的声像图表现为三型;腺体回声减低型10例（43．48％）、多发结节型9例（39．13％）,单纯结节型4例（17．39％）;彩色多普勒显示12例（52．17％）,甲状腺组织彩流丰富,呈网状分布,部分 拟Graves病的“火海征”,单、多发结了型有10例（76．92％）的结节内部显示彩流信号。14例桥本氏病合并症,其超声表现各不相同,往往合并症病变掩盖了桥本氏病图像,而多结节时,超声无法鉴别某个结节是否有癌变倾向等。单纯桥本氏病及桥氏病合并症结节内Vs和RI比值无统计学意义。结论：二维及彩色多普勒超声对桥本氏病诊断具有临床应用价值,对于桥本氏病合并症的诊断还需结合临床综合分析。     

乳腺癌多普勒血流频谱特征及与微血管密度和肿块转移的相关性

目的探讨乳腺癌多普勒血流频谱特征及其与微血管密度(MVD)和肿块转移的相关性.方法术前1周对144个乳腺良恶性肿块患者的原发灶行彩色多普勒超声扫查,观察肿块多普勒血流频谱特征,并测定血流动力学参数:收缩期血流峰值流速(PV)及加速时间(AT).采用免疫组织化学两步法对获取的乳腺癌标本行免疫组化研究,并检测MVD.结果乳腺癌病变的收缩期血流频谱表现为PV增快、AT缩短及峰值前移;舒张期频谱形态变化较大,根据舒张期流速降幅及持续时间把90例乳腺癌病变的舒张期多普勒血流频谱分为Ⅰ型(30例)、Ⅱ型(20例)、Ⅲ型(17例)、Ⅳ型(23例).4型乳腺癌患者的肿块内MVD呈上升趋势,Ⅲ型和Ⅳ型明显高于Ⅰ型.在转移组和未转移组,4型舒张期多普勒血流频谱类型在构成上存在差异,未转移组以Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型为主,转移组中4型所占比例相似.结论乳腺肿块多普勒血流频谱特征在鉴别乳腺肿块良恶性及判断是否转移有重要意义.     

高频超声术前诊断甲状腺乳头状癌患者颈部转移性淋巴结

目的 探讨甲状腺乳头状癌患者颈部淋巴结转移的术前高频超声声像图特征。方法 回顾性分析212例甲状腺乳头状癌患者资料,根据术后组织病理学结果分为无颈部淋巴结转移组（n=103）、颈部淋巴结转移组（n=109）。分析2组淋巴结的声像图表现及转移性淋巴结的颈部分布区域。结果 颈部淋巴结转移组颈部淋巴结皮髓质分界不清且淋巴门消失、回声增强,淋巴结长短径比<2,淋巴结短径>5 mm,淋巴结内多个点状强回声,淋巴结血流呈混合型或周围型,淋巴结血流丰富者分别占86.24%（94/109）、70.64%（77/109）、41.28%（45/109）、17.43%（19/109）、53.21%（58/109）、48.62%（53/109）;无颈部淋巴结转移组上述征象分别占16.50%（17/103）、2.91%（3/103）、11.65%（12/103）、1.94%（2/103）、17.48%（18/103）、16.50%（17/103）,2组间各超声征象差异均有统计学意义（P均<0.001）。以手术所见分区为标准,颈部淋巴结转移组术前超声对淋巴结分区的诊断准确率分别为颈Ⅵ区57.58%（38/66）、颈Ⅴ区75.00%（3/4）、颈Ⅳ区81.25%（13/16）、颈Ⅲ区76.92%（10/13）、颈Ⅱ区70.00%（7/10）。结论 术前甲状腺乳头状癌颈部淋巴结转移的高频超声表现具有特征性,对外科确定颈部淋巴结处理策略有指导作用。     

Urachal remnants in asymptomatic children: gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic findings

PURPOSE: We undertook this study to evaluate the frequency of visualization and the sonographic appearances of urachal remnants (URs) in asymptomatic children. METHODS: One hundred eighty-two children without any urachus-related symptoms underwent sonography of the prevesical region and urinary bladder with high-frequency transducers. RESULTS: A UR was visualized in 180 (99%) of the children. The URs had a mean length +/- standard deviation of 13 +/- 5 mm. Most of the URs were ovoid, and most demonstrated a moderate protrusion into the bladder cavity. The URs with a central echogenic area were larger than those without central echogenicity. In 36 (61%) of the 59 URs that were evaluated with color Doppler sonography, vascular signals were demonstrated within the lesion. The URs with internal vascular signals were significantly larger than those without internal vascular signals. CONCLUSIONS: The gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic characteristics of URs seem to be related to their size and their degree of involution rather than to the age of the child. We think that URs are present in almost all children. URs should be considered normal findings if they are asymptomatic and their length is not significantly greater than 22.5 mm, the 95th percentile in our study.     

Sonographic diagnosis of thyroid metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma

Metastasis to the thyroid is very rare in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and only a few cases have been reported. Herein, we report a rare case of metastatic HCC to the thyroid in a 63-year-old man and discuss the various radiologic findings. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a heterogeneous enhancing mass that had invaded the thyroid cartilage in the left upper thyroid, compressing the airway. Ultrasonography (US) showed a heterogeneous hypoechoic mass with increased vascularity in the peripheral portion. The mass showed focal intense uptake on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). The patient underwent US-guided core needle biopsy and the final diagnosis was metastatic HCC.     

颈部淋巴结内囊性变在甲状腺乳头状癌转移诊断中的作用

目的:观察高分辨率超声仪在诊断甲状腺乳头状癌颈部淋巴结转移中的作用,并评价颈部淋巴结内囊性变作为甲状腺乳头状癌转移的特征性改变及其特异性和敏感性。方法:回顾性分析87例颈部淋巴结异常的患者,所有患者均曾行灰阶及彩色多普勒检查、超声引导细针穿刺活检和/或术后组织病理学检查。结果:所有患者超声显示淋巴结异常,在69%甲状腺乳头状癌患者的转移淋巴结中可见囊性变。而在非甲状腺乳头状癌患者的转移淋巴结中仅有2例可见此现象。颈部淋巴结内部出现囊性变作为甲状腺乳头状癌转移的超声特征性改变,其敏感度为69%,特异度为96.6%,阳性预测值为90.9%,阴性预测值为83.6%,准确度为87.4%。结论:颈部淋巴结内出现囊性变高度提示甲状腺乳头状癌转移。     

Gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic findings in a case of mesenteric Castleman's disease incidentally detected in a patient with Graves' disease

We report a case of localized Castleman's disease of mesentery, studied with sonography, that was incidentally detected as an abdominal mass in a patient with Graves' disease. Its lymphatic nature and mesenteric origin was indicated preoperatively on the basis of gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic features.