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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2002; 110(8): 403-407
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-36546
Article

© Johann Ambrosius Barth

Role of Conventional Ultrasound and Color Doppler Sonography in the Diagnosis of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

B. Saller 1 , L. Moeller 1 , R. Görges 2 , O. E. Janssen 1 , K. Mann 1
  • 1 Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Essen, Germany
  • 2 Division of Endocrinology, Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, University of Essen, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

received 10 July 2001 first decision 8 January 2002

accepted 6 June 2002

Publication Date:
08 January 2003 (online)

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Summary

Early diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) can improve long-term prognosis. MTC can be detected at an early stage by calcitonin screening in all patients with thyroid nodules. This approach, however, is controversial due to high costs and a limited specificity of calcitonin. It was the aim of the present study to investigate whether ultrasonography may contribute to the diagnosis of MTC in patients with thyroid nodules. The study included 19 patients with newly diagnosed MTC. Ten patients had sporadic MTC, 7 had multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A, and 2 patients had MEN 2B. In all subjects conventional ultrasound, and in 14 patients color Doppler sonography were performed before primary surgery. For comparison, ultrasound appearance of 139 benign thyroid nodules was evaluated. In conventional ultrasound, MTC in 17/19 (89%) patients were hypoechoic, contained intranodular calcifications, and had no “halo sign”. The combination of these criteria were found in only 8/139 (6%) of benign thyroid nodules. Intranodular blood flow was found in 11/14 patients with MTC (79%), perinodular blood flow in 7/14 MTC (50%).

In conclusion, conventional ultrasound reveals a combination of hypoechogenicity, intranodular calcifications, and absence of “halo sign” in the vast majority of MTC. Since this sonographic pattern only rarely occurs in benign thyroid nodules, the results indicate that thyroid ultrasound can contribute to the diagnosis of MTC. In addition, the findings may have implications for calcitonin screening in nodular thyroid disease.

Key words:

Medullary thyroid carcinoma - Thyroid nodule - Ultrasound - Color Doppler sonography - Calcitonin

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Dr. med. Bernhard Saller

Pharmacia GmbH

Endocrinology & Metabolism

Am Wolfsmantel 46

91058 Erlangen

Germany

Phone: + 49/9131/62-1502

Fax: + 49/9131/62-1480

Email: bernhard.saller@pharmacia.com