DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF THYROID ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE COMPLEX EXAMINATION OF THYROIDITIS

Thyroiditis is a substantial part of thyroid pathology. Sixty-eight patients with thryroiditis were investigated hy means of real-time ultrasonography. Echographic data were analyzed according to the following diagnostic subgroups: acute suppurative thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis, and Hashimoto thyroiditis. Ultrasonography enabled the visualization of local changes in cases with acute inflammation of the thyroid gland and the differentiating the thyroid from the extrathyroid inflammatory processes. The typical diffuse or localized hypoechogenecity was a valuable sonographic feature of a possible subacute or Hashimoto thyroiditis. The relatively rapid normalization of echostructure during glucocorticoid treatment in cases with subacute thyroiditis was a specific ultrasonographic finding, while, however, there were no similar changes in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis