栗田 武彰¹, 遠藤 正章², 羽田 隆吉², 加藤 智¹

Takeaki KURITA¹, Masaaki ENDOH², Ryukichi HADA², Satoru KATOH¹

¹木造成人病センター外科, ²弘前大学医学部第二外科

¹Department of Surgery, Kizukuri Adult Disease Center Hospital, ²The Second Department of Surgery, Hirosaki University School of Medicine

キーワード : Hashimoto's disease, Thyroid diseases, Thyroid echo level, Thyroid thickness, Dynamic ultrasonography

Thyroid echo level, thyroid thickness, and prethyroid thickness in 21 patients with Hashimoto's disease were measured by ultrasonography in two distinct neck positions—"normal" and "extended." The changes (ratios) of the measured values were calculated and compared with those obtained from 37 thyroid disease–free subjects. Compared with the normal subjects, the patients had a significantly smaller decremental ratio for thyroid echo level (13.3±3.9 vs. 7.6±6.7%. p<0.01 ) and for thyroid thickness (21.1± 8.7vs. 2.8±4.1%, p<0.01 ).
When a range giving echo level changes less than 15% and thickness changes lass than 10% was tentatively settled, 21 of the 58 examinees (37 controls plus 21 Hashimoto's disease) fell in this range, and 19 (90.5%) of the 21 proved to have Hashimoto's disease. Conversely, among the 37 examinees out of this range, only two (5.4%) had Hashimoto's disease. Such a high resolvability resulting from an intentional alteration of neck position suggests a possibility of "dynanic" ultrasonography as a diagnostic method for Hashimoto's disease.