title: Thyroid stiffness assessment by acoustic radiation force impulse elastography (ARFI).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the values of thyroid tissue elasticity in subjects without known thyroid pathology, in patients with Graves' disease and with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective study that included 74 subjects, 23 without thyroid pathology, 29 with Graves' disease and 22 with CAT (diagnosed by specific tests). In all patients, 10 elastographic measurements were performed in the right thyroid lobe (RTL) and 10 in the left thyroid lobe (LTL) using a 2-6 MHz convex probe. Median values were calculated for each thyroid lobe, measured in meters/second (m/sec). We calculated a mean ARFI value from measurements made in the RTL and LTL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thyroid stiffness was statistically significant lower in normal subjects vs. those with Graves' disease (2.07±0.44 m/sec vs. 2.82±0.47 m/sec, p<0.001) and with CAT (2.07±0.44 m/sec vs. 2.49±0.48 m/sec, p=0.004). We also found a statistically significant difference between subjects without thyroid pathology and those with autoimmune thyroid pathology (Graves' disease and CAT) (2.07±0.44 m/sec vs. 2.68±0.50 m/sec, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ARFI seems to be a useful method for the evaluation of diffuse thyroid gland pathology and is able to predict with sufficient accuracy the presence of thyroid diffuse diseases (AUROC=0.80).
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania. isporea@umft.ro
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sporea
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vlad
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bota
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sirli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danila
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sendroiu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zosin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology