Color Duplex Doppler Us Can Follow Up The Response Of Radioiodine In Graves' Disease By Evaluating The Thyroid Volume And Peak Systolic Velocity

Purpose The objective of this study was to prove the efficacy of Doppler ultrasonography (US-Doppler) in the follow-up of patients with GD treated with radioactive iodine.Methods 97 patients (77 female and 20 male) with a mean age of 42 years (SD +/- 15) and with prior diagnosis of GD were treated with radioiodine. In total, 88.5 % achieved euthyroidism or hypothyroidism after treatment. The study was documented before treatment and one, three, and six months after treatment with radioactive iodine (131I) by a single investigator. The volume, echogenicity, echotexture and vascularization of the glands as well as the peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the inferior thyroid arteries were evaluated and compared with the laboratory data.Results Thyroid volume and PSV had a statistically significant correlation with hormone levels (p < 0.05). The mean pre-dose therapeutic thyroid volume was 43.01 +/- 3.88 cm(3) and was 11.58 +/- 11.26 cm(3) 6 months after treatment. The mean PSV before 131I was 90.06 +/- 44.13 cm/s and decreased significantly over time (p < 0.001). Six months after the therapeutic dose, the mean PSV was 32.95 +/- 16.36 cm/s. However, the subjective parameters did not have a significant correlation with the normalization of the thyroid hormones.Conclusion Doppler US was useful for monitoring the therapeutic response of GD patients after treatment with radioiodine by evaluating the thyroid volume and peak systolic velocity.