title: Is the measurement of inferior thyroid artery blood flow velocity by color-flow Doppler ultrasonography useful for differential diagnosis between gestational transient thyrotoxicosis and Graves' disease? A prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the role of peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity and resistance indices of both the right and left inferior thyroid arteries measured by color-flow Doppler ultrasonography for a differential diagnosis between gestational transient thyrotoxicosis and Graves' disease during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The right and left inferior thyroid artery-peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity and resistance indices of 96 patients with thyrotoxicosis (41 with gestational transient thyrotoxicosis, 31 age-matched pregnant patients with Graves' disease and 24 age- and sex-matched non-pregnant patients with Graves' disease) and 25 age and sex-matched healthy euthyroid subjects were assessed with color-flow Doppler ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The right and left inferior thyroid artery-peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities in patients with gestational transient thyrotoxicosis were found to be significantly lower than those of pregnant patients with Graves' disease and higher than those of healthy euthyroid subjects. However, the right and left inferior thyroid artery peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities in pregnant patients with Graves' disease were significantly lower than those of non-pregnant patients with Graves' disease. The right and left inferior thyroid artery peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities were positively correlated with TSH-receptor antibody levels. We found an overlap between the inferior thyroid artery-blood flow velocities in a considerable number of patients with gestational transient thyrotoxicosis and pregnant patients with Graves' disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that the measurement of inferior thyroid artery-blood flow velocities with color-flow Doppler ultrasonography does not have sufficient sensitivity and specificity to be recommended as an initial diagnostic test for a differential diagnosis between gestational transient thyrotoxicosis and Graves' disease during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey. zuhur744@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sayid Shafi
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zuhur
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozel
authors.forename: Selvinaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Velet
authors.forename: Mehmet Sait
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Buğdacı
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cil
authors.forename: Yüksel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Altuntas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013971:Thyrotoxicosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color