Impact of nodular size on the predictive values of gray-scale,color-Doppler ultrasound,and sonoelastography for assessment of thyroid nodules  

作　　者：Yu-rong HONG Yu-lian WU Zhi-yan LUO Ning-bo WU Xue-ming LIU 

机构地区：[1]Department of Ultrasound,the Second Affiliated Hospital,School of Medicine,Zhejiang University,Hangzhou 310009,China [2]Department of General Surgery,the Second Affiliated Hospital,School of Medicine,Zhejiang University,Hangzhou 310009,China)

出　　处：《Journal of Zhejiang University-Science B(Biomedicine & Biotechnology)》2012年第9期707-716,共10页浙江大学学报（英文版）B辑（生物医学与生物技术）

摘　　要：Objective:To define the roles of gray-scale,color-Doppler ultrasound,and sonoelastography for the assessment of thyroid nodule to determine whether nodule size affects the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant.Methods:A total of 243 consecutive subjects(214 women,29 men) with 329 thyroid nodules were examined by gray-scale,color-Doppler ultrasound,and sonoelastography in this prospective study.All patients underwent surgery and the final diagnosis was obtained from histopathological examination.Results:Three hundred and twenty-nine nodules(208 benign,121 malignant) were divided into small(SNs,5-10 mm,n=137) and large(LNs,>10 mm,n=192) nodules.Microcalcifications were more frequent in malignant LNs than in malignant SNs,but showed no significant difference between benign LNs and SNs.Poorly-circumscribed margins were not significantly different between malignant SNs and LNs,but were less frequent in benign LNs than in benign SNs.Among all nodules,marked intranodular vascularity was more frequent in LNs than in SNs.By comparison,shape ratio of anteroposterior to transverse dimensions(A/T) ≥1 was less frequent in LNs than in SNs.Otherwise,among all nodules,marked hypoechogenicity and elasticity score of 4-6 showed no significant difference between LNs and SNs.Conclusions:The predictive values of microcalcifications,nodular margins,A/T ratio,and marked intranodular vascularity depend on nodule size,but the predictive values of echogenicity and elastography do not.Objective： To define the roles of gray-scale, color-Doppler ultrasound, and sonoelastography for the assessment of thyroid nodule to determine whether nodule size affects the differential diagnosis of benign and ma- lignant. Methods： A total of 243 consecutive subjects （214 women, 29 men） with 329 thyroid nodules were examined by gray-scale, color-Doppler ultrasound, and sonoelastography in this prospective study. All patients underwent surgery and the final diagnosis was obtained from histopathological examination. Results： Three hundred and twenty-nine nodules （208 benign, 121 malignant） were divided into small （SNs, 5-10 mm, n=137） and large （LNs, 〉10 mm, n=192） nodules. Microcalcifications were more frequent in malignant LNs than in malignant SNs, but showed no sig- nificant difference between benign LNs and SNs. Poorly-circumscribed margins were not significantly different be- tween malignant SNs and LNs, but were less frequent in benign LNs than in benign SNs. Among all nodules, marked intranodular vascularity was more frequent in LNs than in SNs. By comparison, shape ratio of anteroposterior to transverse dimensions （A/T） 〉1 was less frequent in LNs than in SNs. Otherwise, among all nodules, marked hypoechogenicity and elasticity score of 4-6 showed no significant difference between LNs and SNs. Conclusions： The predictive values of microcalcifications, nodular margins, A/T ratio, and marked intranodular vascularity depend on nodule size, but the predictive values of echogenicity and elastography do not.

关 键 词：ULTRASOUND Thyroid nodules SONOELASTOGRAPHY Nodule size 

分 类 号：R581.3[医药卫生—内分泌]