Shi JF, Zhou WY, Zhang HX, Shen Y, Zhang H, Li T. Advancements and challenges of ultrasound imaging in the management of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. World J Radiol 2025; 17(11): 112638 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i11.112638]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Tuo Li, MD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, No. 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200433, China. dr.lituo@smmu.edu.cn
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Endocrinology & Metabolism
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Minireviews
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nov 28, 2025 (publication date) through Nov 27, 2025
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World Journal of Radiology
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1949-8470
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Shi JF, Zhou WY, Zhang HX, Shen Y, Zhang H, Li T. Advancements and challenges of ultrasound imaging in the management of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. World J Radiol 2025; 17(11): 112638 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i11.112638]
World J Radiol. Nov 28, 2025; 17(11): 112638 Published online Nov 28, 2025. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i11.112638
Advancements and challenges of ultrasound imaging in the management of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy
Ju-Feng Shi, Wei-Yi Zhou, Hong-Xi Zhang, Ya Shen, Hang Zhang, Tuo Li
Ju-Feng Shi, Wei-Yi Zhou, Hong-Xi Zhang, Tuo Li, Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 200433, China
Ya Shen, Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 200433, China
Hang Zhang, Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 200433, China
Co-first authors: Ju-Feng Shi and Wei-Yi Zhou.
Co-corresponding authors: Hang Zhang and Tuo Li.
Author contributions: Shi JF and Zhou WY contributed equally as co-first authors; Li T did conceptualization; Shi JF wrote the original draft; Zhou WY and Zhang HX did review and editing; Zhang H and Shen Y did visualization; Zhang H and Li T did supervision and made equal contributions as co-corresponding authors. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82170858 and No. 82470935.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tuo Li, MD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, No. 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200433, China. dr.lituo@smmu.edu.cn
Received: August 4, 2025 Revised: August 29, 2025 Accepted: October 31, 2025 Published online: November 28, 2025 Processing time: 118 Days and 1.1 Hours
Abstract
Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), an autoimmune disorder closely associated with thyroid dysfunction, requires timely diagnosis and ongoing accurate evaluation to improve patient outcomes. With the global incidence of TAO increasing and significantly affecting the quality of life of patients, there is an urgent need for effective diagnostic tools. As a noninvasive imaging technique, ultrasound plays a pivotal role in diagnosing and managing TAO, particularly in the early detection of and monitoring of disease progression. Despite its advantages, ultrasound faces challenges such as limited resolution for deep orbital structures and a lack of standardized protocols, which can lead to diagnostic inaccuracies. This paper reviews the current status of ultrasound applications in TAO, including diagnostic utility, recent technological advances, and key challenges. It proposes strategies for future research and improvement, emphasizing analysis of ultrasound imaging data to develop biomarker stratification models. We propose an integrated multimodal framework that combines ultrasound elastography with deep learning to improve diagnostic precision.
Core Tip: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, an autoimmune disorder linked to thyroid dysfunction, needs timely diagnosis. Ultrasound, a noninvasive tool, aids thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy diagnosis/management but has limitations. This minireview proposes future research strategies that emphasize analysis of ultrasound data to develop biomarker models. We propose an integrated multimodal framework combining ultrasound elastography with deep learning to enhance diagnostic precision.
