We found thyroid doppler sonography to be an excellent tool to differentiate between hyperthyroid and hypothyroid phase of postpartum thyroiditis and Graves' disease. For the first time we proved its important role in fast evaluation of thyroid dysfunction in postpartum period.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26225113
In 118 healthy females thyroid volume increases during pregnancy and decreases after delivery. The volume changes are associated with body mass index, TSH concentration and thyroid vascularity, while no association with urinary iodine concentration was found. We believe that increase of thyroid volume during pregnancy is caused by physiological (haemodynamic) changes in this period.
COBISS.SI-ID: 25690329
In smaller study group we found that in the last trimester of pregnancy thyroid volume is significantly larger than four months after delivery. The change in thyroid volume is not associated with urine iodine concentration, as thought by now. For the first time we measured thyroid vascularity during the pregnancy and we confirmed the correlation between the thyroid volume and thyroid vascularity.
COBISS.SI-ID: 21904601
In patients with Hashimoto's and postpartum thyroiditis we evaluated different clinical parameters, including thyroid hormones, thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid ultrasound and we determined a significant impact of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 gene polymorphism on clinical disease presentation.
We compared patients with remission for more than one year after Graves' disease treatment and patients with early reoccurrence of Graves' disease or heavier course of the disease in spite of antithyroid drugs. Our results indicate that patients with larger thyroid volume and higher thyroid vascularity at the disease presentation usually have heavier disease course and more frequent early reoccurrence of the disease.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24812505