Sonographic diagnosis and grading of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

There is no ideal test for the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). The purpose of this study was to determine the type of information sonography provides in these patients. In 47 cases of HT we identified four distinct sonographic patterns which correlated with degree of disease severity. The higher patterns had larger glands, higher antithyroid antibody titers, lower T₄ and higher TSH levels, and higher incidence of hypothyroidism. With sonography we were able to suspect the diagnosis in patients with goiter of unknown etiology, to measure gland size, identify patients with functional impairment, and predict which patients required treatment. No other single test provides so much information in patients with HT.