Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Ear / Nose / Throat, Head and neck, Thyroid / Parathyroids, Ultrasound-Colour Doppler, Ultrasound-Power Doppler, Ultrasound-Spectral Doppler, Diagnostic procedure, Education, Technical aspects, Education and training, Endocrine disorders, Image registration
Authors:
P. C. Francolin, L. C. C. Chierighini, W. Iared, M. C. Chammas, G. G. Cerri; São Paulo/BR
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-2600
Background
Ultrasonography has been confirmed in the last decades to be the method of choice for morphological evaluation of the thyroid gland,
mostly because its notable high resolution,
capability of distinguishing subtle changes in the texture of the glandular parenchyma,
reliability in detecting and characterizing nodules.
Besides we must consider the absence of contraindications,
high availability and low cost.
The investigation of diffuse thyroid diseases and the screening of thyroid nodules must include this method.
If we consider the high incidence of thyroiditis and nodules in the general population,
it is easy to understand why this method is widely used in daily practice.
Allied to color Doppler mapping,
and more recently the elastography,
it is the first diagnostic method of macroscopic thyroid evaluation.
Ultrassonography also allows access to targeted material (for cytological studies),
guiding punctures for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
These facts have consecrated ultrasound a widely requested exam by endocrinologists,
otorhinolaryngologists,
head and neck surgeons,
gynecologists,
cardiologists and clinicians in general in the whole world.
Considering this scenario,
it is necessary a minimum standardization of the procedure in order to assure the quality control and the reproducibility of the method.
It is also recommended to standardize the medical reports,
in order to homogenize the descriptions and conclusions,
facilitating the multidisciplinary understanding and allowing the homogenization of the therapeutic conducts.