[Flowmetric analysis of thyroid diseases: hypothesis on integration with qualitative color-Doppler study]

After premising the value of qualitative color-Doppler analysis in the characterization of the main thyropathies through the identification of 4 main reference patterns, the authors investigate whether the quantitative information obtained by means of spectral analysis can improve the predictive value of color-Doppler US. One-hundred and seventy-six patients were examined and divided into 4 groups according to qualitative color-Doppler patterns, as reported in the literature. For each patient, flowmetry included the peak systolic frequency shift and the diastolic frequency shift. The Doppler shift was seen to differ greatly within each semiology class, with overlap of values between the various qualitative classes and between the different diseases. In conclusion, flowmetry provides no more useful diagnostic information than color-Doppler US in nodular or diffuse thyroid diseases.