Ces radiol. 2019, 73(2):107-112 | DOI: 10.55095/CesRadiol2019/016

Assessment of thyroid nodules by ultrasonography including shear wave elastographyOriginal article

Zuzana Sedláčková¹, Jan Heřman², Tomáš Fürst¹, Richard Salzman², Miroslav Heřman¹

¹ Radiologická klinika Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci a Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc

² Klinika otorinolaryngologie a chirurgie hlavy a krku Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci a Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc

Aim: To find the best combination of parameters for diagnosing malignant thyroid nodules and for the assessment of possible benefit of shear-wave elastography.

Methods: We performed an ultrasonographic examination of thyroid nodules in 89 patients indicated for biopsy. We evaluated epidemiologic and ultrasonographic data including elastography.

Results: Malignant thyroid nodules prevailed statistically significantly in men and in patients with enlarged lymph nodes. Malignant nodules had irregular margins, were bigger, and were associated with microcalcifications. We found statistically significantly higher stiffness and lower minimum stiffness in malignant tumors during elastographic measurements. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound parameters without elastography were 86% and 84%, respectively; the values did not change after adding elastography.

Conclusion: The assessment of classic ultrasonographic parameters was sufficient for diagnosis and the addition of elastographic parameters did not improve the results.

Keywords: thyroid, nodule, ultrasonographic elastography

Grants and funding:

Práce byla podpořena granty AZV MZ ČR16-31881A, MZ ČR RVO (FNOL, 00098892) a RVO (LF UP 61989592).

Accepted: January 15, 2019; Published: June 1, 2019  Show citation