Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Bratislava Medical Journal, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between thyroid tissue stiffness measured by shear wave elastography (SWE) and the coronary artery calcium score (CACS), particularly across different score groups, and to determine whether thyroid SWE can be utilized as a noninvasive method for cardiovascular risk assessment. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted at our institution between March 2025 and August 2025. All participants underwent gray-scale ultrasonography and SWE. Participants were categorized based on their CACS. Comparisons among the CACS groups were performed using analysis of variance and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Correlations were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 113 participants were included. Thyroid gland volumes did not differ significantly among CACS groups. In contrast, thyroid tissue stiffness parameters showed a significant increase with higher CACS categories. Strong positive correlations were observed between CACS and thyroid stiffness (p < 0.001), indicating that higher calcium scores were associated with increased thyroid tissue stiffness. Conclusion: In our study, a strong positive correlation was observed between thyroid gland stiffness and CACS, with thyroid stiffness increasing proportionally with the CACS category. Thyroid tissue elasticity measured by SWE may serve as a complementary marker to CACS in predicting cardiovascular risk.