Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: The value of ultrasound in functional disorders can be significant. That is why the question arises on the use of ultrasound examination of thyroid gland and its echogenity as a screening method in early detection of disfunctions, primarily subclinical and clinical forms of hypothyreosis.

Methods: Testing included 328 patients. All examinees underwent ultrasound examination of thyroid gland, the blood was taken for determination of FT₄, TSH, TPOab andTGab. The patients were divided into two groups. Group A with normal echogenity of thyroid gland tissue, and B with decreased echogenity. Group B was divided into two subgroups, B1 with a mildly decreased and B2 with significantly decreased echogenity.

Results: TPO antibodies, TSH and TG antibodies positivity and their mean values in group B are significantly higher, as well as in subgroups B1 and B2, in relation to group A, P<0.001. In group A only two examinees (1%) were indicated with subclinical hypothyreosis. In group B the sublinical hypothyreosis was indicated in 21, while the clinical hypothyreosis was indicated in eight examinees. 29 (25%) suffered of thyroid gland altered function. In subgroup B1 eight examinees were indicated with subclinical and two with clinical hypothyreosis. Ten examinees (11%) suffered of altered thyroid function. In group B2 the subclinical was found in 13 examinees, while the clinical hypothyreosis was found in 6. 19 examinees (76%) suffered of altered thyroid function.

Conclusion: The ultrasound screening of thyroid gland plays important role in early detection of thyroid disfunction, i.e. sublinical and clinical hypothyreosis. Decreased ultrasound echogenity represents the significant marker of altered thyroid gland function. In these persons we have determined the high percentage of subclinical and clinical hypothyreosis frequency.