Unlike X-rays, Computerised Tomography (CT) and MRI, ultrasonography is relatively inexpensive in terms of equipment, and has no risks from radiation. Further, some patients require an ultrasound anyway so adding this RI should not add much to the overall costs.
Positive diagnosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (indeed, any form of autoimmune thyroid disease) tends to be poor. It is often based on a positive Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies test and little else. But the antibody test tends to be deferred until thyroid hormone levels are affected.
The role of resistive index in the diagnosis of Hashimoto thyroiditis: A cross-sectional study.
Soltani K 1 , Keshavarz E 2 , Pouya EK 2 , Jamali R 3 , Langroudi TF 4 , Haseli S 5
Medicine, 01 Apr 2025, 104(14):e41933
https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000041933 PMID: 40193673
Abstract
The diagnostic role of Doppler ultrasonography regarding Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is not fully established. We examined intraparenchymal resistive index (RI) as a Doppler parameter, thyroidal vascularity and other Gray-Scale findings in adults with HT in order to evaluate the clinical feasibility of RI in the diagnosis of this disease. The study included 48 women aged 20 to 50 years who had recently been diagnosed with HT. These participants, who were either euthyroid or sub-clinically hypothyroid during the study period, underwent sonographic examination. Thyroid glands were classified into 4 distinct patterns, using the Color Doppler Scale introduced by Schultz et al and also based on Sostre and Reyes Gray-Scale Grading System they were classified into 4 Grades. Intraparenchymal RIs were obtained in 2 locations within each lobe of the thyroid gland. Gray-Scale findings were compared to Doppler findings (RI). Also, intraparenchymal RIs were obtained in 45 healthy adults as a control group. The mean RI values were determined by calculating the mean of the RI measurements obtained from both lobes of each participant in the patient and control groups. The mean RI value was found to be 0.57 ± 0.05 (range 0.5-0.7) cm/s in patient group and 0.54 ± 0.05 (range 0.47-0.7) cm/s in control group. The results were distributed as follows: pattern 0 was observed in 22 cases, pattern I in 15 cases, pattern II in 6 cases, and pattern III in 5 cases. The mean RI values for patients with normal or nearly normal Gray-Scale findings (n = 13) and those with more pronounced Gray-Scale changes (n = 35) showed no significant difference. However, both groups exhibited higher mean RI values compared to the normal adults in the control group. The results highlight that the RI could be an effective and sensitive tool for diagnosing HT through Doppler ultrasonography.
Article linked from here:
https://europepmc.org/article/MED/40193673
The DOI link does not currently work (often happens with new papers) hence I cannot determine whether it is paywalled nor find the actual journal link.
