Gray-scale ultrasound findings of heterogeneous echotexture and hypoechoic echogenicity reflect a longer duration of inflammation and may not be found in the initial stages of thyroiditis. Our results indicate that shear-wave elastography could be used to evaluate the degree of fibrosis in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Objectives-We aimed to investigate the differences between spectral Doppler and Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI; Canon Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan) findings in children with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and Graves disease (GD) compared to healthy control participants.Methods-The study included 34 patients with GD, 37 patients with HT, and 22 healthy volunteers. All patients with HT and 11 patients with GD were euthyroid; 23 patients with GD had symptoms of hyperthyroidism and had thyrotropin values of less than 0.5 mIU/L. Thyroid volumes, mean resistive indices, and peak systolic velocities along with vascularity indices (VIs) on Superb Microvascular Imaging were measured.

Objectives: Amyloid deposits in a visceral organ can contribute to tissue stiffness that could be measured with shear wave elastography (SWE). We aimed to investigate changes in organ stiffness in conjunction with laboratory parameters in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) and amyloidosis. Methods: This prospective study included 27 FMF patients, 11 patients with amyloidosis, and 38 healthy controls. Median shear wave elasticity values of the liver, spleen, both kidneys, and pancreas on SWE were compared among study and control groups. The mean values of CRP (C-reactive protein) and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were compared by the t–test and the median of SAA (serum amyloid A protein) was compared with the Mann–Whitney U test between FMF groups with and without amyloidosis. Spearman’s correlation analysis was performed to reveal the association between stiffness values and laboratory parameters. Results: The median liver, spleen, kidney, and pancreas elasticity values were significantly higher in the FMF group with amyloidosis compared to control subjects. The median kidney stiffness values in the FMF group with or without amyloidosis were significantly higher compared to control subjects. Median liver stiffness values in FMF patients with amyloidosis were significantly higher than FMF patients without amyloidosis. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the CRP (p = 0.001, r = 0.56), ESR (p = 0.001, r = 0.61), and SAA (p = 0.002, r = 0.53) levels with spleen stiffness, and CRP (p = 0.006, r = 0.48) and ESR (p = 0.001,r = 0.61) levels with pancreas stiffness, and ESR (p = 0.004, r = 0.51) levels with the left kidney stiffness. Conclusion: SWE could be a potential tool for noninvasive follow-up of FMF patients and also amyloid deposition. Advances in knowledge: Both acute inflammation and amyloidosis in the FMF patients could increase organ stiffness.

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Objective:To evaluate ventricular repolarization parameters using the interval from the peak to the end of the T wave (Tp–Te), together with QT and corrected QT (QTc) intervals, QT dispersion (QTd), and Tp-Te/QTc ratio in patients with Turner syndrome (pwTS) and to compare the results with those from healthy controls.Methods:In total, 38 patients previously diagnosed with Turner syndrome (TS) and 35 healthy girls (controls) were included in our cross-sectional study. Twelve-lead electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography after a 30-min rest were performed. The QT, QTc, QTd, Tp-Te interval, and Tp-Te/QTc ratio were determined.Results:No differences in age or sex were observed between the groups. QT intervals were similar in both groups [pwTS: 354.76±25.33 ms, controls (C): 353.29±17.51 ms, p=0.775]. pwTS had significantly longer QTc and QTd than controls (411.87±22.66 ms vs. 392.06±13.21 ms, p<0.001 and 40.31±2.02 ms vs. 37.54±1.83 ms, p<0.001, respectively). Similarly, the Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QTc ratio were significantly longer in pwTS than in controls (71.89±3.39 ms vs. 65.34±2.88 ms, p<0.001 and 0.17±0.01 vs. 0.16±0.01, p=0.01).Conclusion:As pwTS have longer QTc, QTd, Tp–Te interval, and Tp-Te/QTc ratio, an annual follow-up with ECG can provide awareness and even prevent sudden death in them. Also avoiding the use of drugs that makes repolarization anomaly and having knowledge about the side effects of these drugs are essential in pwTS.

Introduction This study aimed to investigate selective muscle involvement by shear wave elastography (SWE) in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) types 2-3 and to compare SWE values with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in demonstrating muscle involvement. Methods Seventeen patients with SMA types 2-3 were included in the study. SWE was used to evaluate stiffness of the upper, lower extremities and paraspinal muscles. Involvement of the paraspinal muscles was evaluated using 1.5-Tesla MRI. Results Among the upper extremity muscles, SWE values were the highest for the triceps brachii; however, no significant difference was noted (p=0.23). In post-hoc analysis, a significant difference was observed between triceps brachii and biceps brachii (p:0.003). Patients with a longer disease duration have the highest SWE values for the triceps brachii (r=0.67,p=0.003). Among the lower extremity muscles, SWE values for the iliopsoas were significantly higher than the gluteus maximus (p<0.001). A positive correlation was found between SWE values and MRI scores of paraspinal muscles (r = 0.49,p = 0.045;r = 0.67,p = 0.003). Conclusion This is the first study to report muscle involvement assessed by SWE in patients with SMA type 2-3. Our findings are similar to the presence of selective muscle involvement demonstrated in previous studies and also SWE and MRI values were similar. SWE is a alternative non-invasive practical method that can be used to demonstrate muscle involvement in patients with SMA, to understand the pathogenesis of segmental involvement and to guide future treatments or to monitor the effectiveness of existing new treatment options.