To assess vein compressibility as a simple ultrasound (US) technique to determine the presence of venous thrombi, 51 patients undergoing contrast material venography of the lower extremity because of a clinical suspicion of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) also underwent high-resolution US evaluation of the veins. DVT was diagnosed on 28 venograms. In 25 patients US studies demonstrated non-compressibility of the veins, indicating the presence of clot. In 23 patients with normal venograms, US examinations demonstrated total compressibility of the veins, indicating the absence of DVT. Clots below the knee were not depicted by US. In this study US had a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 100%.
The purpose of this study was to assess the potential application of color Doppler sonography in thyroid imaging. Thyroid nodules and other thyroid pathology detected by color Doppler ultrasound and nuclear scintigraphy were compared in 115 patients. The majority of "cold" nodules demonstrated a peripheral rim of color flow and no internal color flow with color Doppler sonography. A large number of "hot" nodules demonstrated internal color flow. Color Doppler sonography was helpful in delineating nodules in otherwise inhomogeneous glands. We determined that color Doppler cannot reliably distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules; fine-needle aspiration biopsy remains the most accurate method in differentiating benign and malignant lesions. We suggest that color Doppler sonography plays only a limited role in the evaluation of nodular thyroid disease at this time. The color Doppler appearance of other thyroid disorders (including toxic multinodular goiter, Graves' disease, and thyroiditis) is discussed.
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