Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 13, Issue 4 303-308, Copyright © 1994 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Color Doppler sonography: an adjunctive technique in assessment of parathyroid adenomas
R. J. Wolf, J. J. Cronan and J. M. Monchik
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence 02903.
In evaluating primary parathyroid adenomas with high-resolution color
Doppler sonography, initial detection relied on the observation of a
hypoechoic soft tissue mass adjacent to the thyroid gland. Using color
Doppler sonography, many adenomas had a demonstrable blood supply from the
inferior thyroidal artery branches, identified as a vascular arc
surrounding the gland from 90 to 270 degrees. The vascular arc assists the
interpreter with establishing the nature of the mass, differentiating it
from masses such as regional lymph nodes, which demonstrate hilar flow.
Sixty-three percent (20 of 32) of parathyroid adenomas had a color arc. The
identification of a vascular arc is a useful adjunctive finding, improving
diagnostic specificity and quickly confirming the diagnosis of parathyroid
adenoma.
