title: Sonographic features of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the diagnostic values of gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (FHT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The gray-scale and colour Doppler ultrasound data of 120 patients with histopathologically confirmed FHT were retrospectively studied. The background of thyroid parenchyma was subjectively evaluated as absence or presence of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The vascular types of thyroid nodules were determined as follows: hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow, and focal thyroid inferno.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among all 120 nodules, 71 (59.2%) were located in normal thyroid parenchyma, 49 (40.8%) in the background of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In the normal thyroid background, hypoechoic nodules accounted for 85.9% (61/71), and only 14.1% (10/71)nodules were isoechoic or hyperechoic. However, in the background of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 40.8% were hypoechoic and 59.2% were isoechoic or hyperechoic. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). In terms of the vascular types, the hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow, and focal thyroid inferno accounted for 45 %, 25.9%, 20.8%, and 8.3%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The "focal inferno" is a relative specific color Doppler feature of FHT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound,Peking University Third Hospital,Beijing 100191,China;Department of Ultrasound,First Affiliated Hospital of General Hospital of PLA,Beijing 100048,China.
authors.forename: Xian-shui
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound,Peking University Third Hospital,Beijing 100191,China.
authors.forename: Zhi-qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound,Peking University Third Hospital,Beijing 100191,China.
authors.forename: Hua-bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound,Peking University Third Hospital,Beijing 100191,China.
authors.forename: Jin-rui
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D055815:Young Adult