Assessment of the Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy on the Thyroid Vascularization of Patients with Autoimmune Hypothyroidism by Color Doppler Ultrasound

Abstract

Background. Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT) frequently alters thyroid vascularization, likely as a result of the autoimmune process. Objective. To evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the thyroid vascularization of patients with hypothyroidism induced by CAT using color Doppler ultrasound parameters. Methods. In this randomized clinical trial, 43 patients who underwent levothyroxine replacement for CAT-induced hypothyroidism were randomly assigned to receive either 10 sessions of LLLT (L group, n = 23) or 10 sessions of a placebo treatment (P group, n = 20). Color Doppler ultrasounds were performed before and 30 days after interventions. To verify the vascularity of the thyroid parenchyma, power Doppler was performed. The systolic peak velocity (SPV) and resistance index (RI) in the superior (STA) and inferior thyroid arteries (ITAs) were measured by pulsed Doppler. Results. The frequency of normal vascularization of the thyroid lobes observed in the postintervention power Doppler examination was significantly higher in the L than in the P group (P = 0.023). The pulsed Doppler examination revealed an increase in the SPV of the ITA in the L group compared with the P group (P = 0.016). No significant differences in the SPV of the STA and in the RI were found between the groups. Conclusion. These results suggest that LLLT can ameliorate thyroid parenchyma vascularization and increase the SPV of the ITA of patients with hypothyroidism caused by CAT.

Safety and Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Autoimmune Thyroiditis: Long-Term Follow-Up Study

“…The US performed 30 days RCT postintervention showed that the proportion of patients with a normal TVP was higher in the L group than in the P group [ 7 ], but in the present study, this proportion did not differ significantly. This finding indicates that the effects of LLLT on the improvement of TVP are also transient.…”

“…The RCT showed evidence that LLLT promoted the following: (a) an improvement in thyroid function, as indicated by the reduction in the dose of LT4 used to treat hypothyroidism; (b) a reduction in serum anti-TPO concentrations; and (c) improvement in the echogenicity, volume, and thyroid vascularization pattern in CDU [ 6 , 7 ]. Such results suggest that LLLT may be an interesting alternative for the treatment of CAT-induced hypothyroidism.…”

Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation

“…In addition to improved thyroid function they found reduced autoimmunity evidenced by lower thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). A third study [ 91 ] used color Doppler ultrasound to show improved normal vascualrization in the thyroid parenchyma. Finally [ 92 ] they showed a statistically significant increase in serum TGF-β1 levels 30 days post-intervention in the PBM group, thus confirming the anti-inflammatory effect.…”

Therapeutic application of light and electromagnetic fields to reduce hyper-inflammation triggered by COVID-19

“…The beneficial effects of red and infrared light in the treatment of inflammation have been well known since the time of Niels Finsen, who received the Nobel Prize in 1903 for his demonstration that a human autoimmune disease, lupus vulgaris , could be successfully treated and cured by application of visible light [ 2 ]. In subsequent years, illumination of patients with red or infrared light, known as Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM), was proven clinically effective against a variety of human diseases including Achilles tendinopathy [ 3 ], Alopecia Areata [ 4–6 ], psoriasis [ 7–9 ], thyroiditis [ 10 , 41 ], and arthritis [ 11–13 ]. A unifying feature of all of these conditions is that they involve excessive inflammation [ 3 , 5 , 9 , 14 ].…”