Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT412

Background: Ultra-Micro Angiography (UMA) is an innovative Doppler ultrasound technique that significantly enhances the visualization of slow blood flow in small caliber vessels. The application of Subtraction UMA (sUMA) further refines this capability by eliminating background tissue interference, enabling a precise assessment of thyroid microvascularity. This study aimed to evaluate thyroid perfusion through sUMA in healthy individuals compared with those diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid conditions, while also exploring its potential implications in clinical practice.

Methods: This prospective, single-center study involved 70 participants, categorized into three groups: 18 healthy controls, 40 with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT), and 12 with Graves’ disease (GD). All participants underwent multiparametric ultrasound followed by sUMA for microvascularity assessment. The Color Pixel Percentage (CPP) index was calculated to quantify the vascularity of the thyroid gland. Median CPP values were derived, and correlations with various clinical parameters were analyzed.

Results: The participant groups exhibited similar mean ages (ranging from 45.4 to 51.5 years), with a notable female predominance (72% to 80%). The median CPP values were significantly lower in controls (26.5; IQR [22-32.4]) compared to those with CAT (49.3; IQR [38.5-61.6]) and GD (54.5; IQR [41.7-64]; P < 0.0001). Within the control group, a moderate negative correlation between CPP and BMI was observed (r = -0.510, P = 0.032). In contrast, the CAT group demonstrated moderate positive correlations between CPP and TSH (r = 0.582, P = 0.002) as well as between CPP and thyroid volume (r = 0.492, P = 0.008).

Conclusions: sUMA is a reliable and effective modality for assessing thyroid vascularity in both healthy individuals and those with autoimmune thyroid disorders. The findings support the promising utility of sUMA in the diagnosis and clinical evaluation of thyroid diseases.