Development and application of magnetic resonance elastography of the normal and pathological thyroid gland in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
To noninvasively assess the shear stiffness of the thyroid gland in vivo in order to determine whether magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) might hold clinical utility in the diagnosis of thyroid disease.


METHODS
Quantitative parametric images of thyroid stiffness in normal volunteers and patients were produced and quantitative stiffness values measured. Average gland stiffness was determined by region of interest analysis of the parametric images. This technique was used to assess stiffness of the thyroid in normal individuals (n = 12), patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT; n = 5), and patients with a solitary benign (n = 8) or malignant (n = 2) thyroid nodule.


RESULTS
Mean shear modulus of normal thyroid glands was 1.9 +/- 0.6 kPa at 100 Hz and 1.3 +/- 0.5 kPa at 80 Hz, while that of HT glands was 2.8 +/- 0.6 kPa and 1.8 +/- 0.6 kPa at 80 Hz, respectively (P = 0.004 at 100 Hz). Elastographic parameters could not differentiate benign from malignant thyroid nodules in these small sample sizes.


CONCLUSIONS
We developed a method for the application of MRE to the study of thyroid gland pathology. The results show that the HT gland can be differentiated from normal thyroid. The clinical utility of this imaging modality in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disease awaits further study.
Bahn
Mark M
MM
Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. bahn.mark@mayo.edu
Brennan
Michael D
MD
Bahn
Rebecca S
RS
Dean
Diana S
DS
Kugel
Jennifer L
JL
Ehman
Richard L
RL
D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*