SFEBES2007 Poster Presentations Thyroid (51 abstracts)
1Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Shariati Hospital, Tehran,Tehran, Iran; 2Nuclear Medicine Department, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,Tehran, Iran; 3Radiology Department, Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,Tehran, Iran; 4ENT Department, Amir Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,Tehran, Iran.
Objective: Pendred syndrome, defined as the constellation of goiter, sensori-neural hearing loss and positive Perchlorate discharge test, is the most frequent cause of congenital deafness. Newly introduced diagnostic approaches to the disease are rather expensive and complicated, we evaluated the value of MRI as the sole, or adjunctive diagnostic approach, and compared it with the traditional ones.
Methods: Presuming the classic triad as the gold standard, we compared MRI findings in six such defined patients with six cases having goiter, hearing loss, and normal Perchlorate discharge.
Results: MRI was 83.6% sensitive and 66.7% specific in patients fulfilling all three criteria (complete), while in the partial group the sensitivity and specificity were 66.7% and 100% respectively.
Conclusion: MRI, although impressive as an adjunctive diagnostic tool, may not replace the holistic approach, and the latter may be more convenient, cheaper, and still more accurate. However in partial cases with equivocal findings, and in relatives of the patients, MRI may be a valuable diagnostic adjunct.