Becker D, Bair H J, Becker W, Günter E, Lohner W, Lerch S, Hahn E G
Department of Medicine I, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
J Clin Ultrasound. 1997 Feb;25(2):63-9. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0096(199702)25:2<63::aid-jcu3>3.0.co;2-h.
In a prospective study, we assessed the possibility of recognizing autonomous adenomas of the thyroid with color-coded image-directed Doppler sonography using internal hypervascularization in thyroid nodules for identification. Fifty-three patients with thyroid nodules underwent additional CCDS examination and nuclear scintigraphy (reference). Of 29 patients having autonomous adenomas, 28 patients presented internal hypervascularization in their nodules resulting in a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity was 75%. Interestingly CCDS detected six adenomas in patients showing normal laboratory data (bTSH, TT3, FT4). CCDS could be used to exclude focal adenomas with a negative predictive value of 94%. The positive predictive value for adenoma was 82%.
