Original Article on Translational Imaging in Cancer Patient Care
Quantification of solid hypo-echoic thyroid nodule enhancement with contrast-enhanced ultrasound
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of the quantitative assessment of enhancement on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for diagnosing solid hypo-echoic thyroid nodules (SHTNs).
Methods: A total of 87 SHTNs were imaged by both conventional ultrasound (CUS) and CEUS. The sonographic features, enhancement pattern, and dynamic perfusion changes of the thyroid lesion were evaluated and compared. The final diagnosis was based on histological findings.
Results: Of all nodes, 32 were benign, and 55 were malignant. The benign thyroid nodules mainly exhibited diffuse enhancement. The 55 malignant nodules mainly exhibited absent or faint dotted enhancement patterns. Quantitative analysis of CEUS revealed that the Peak enhancement and area under the curve (AUC) of malignant nodules were markedly reduced compared to those of benign nodules. Significant differences between CEUS and CUS were noted with respect to the sensitivity, negative predictive value, false negative rate and accuracy.
Conclusions: CEUS is a promising imaging-based approach that can assist in the differential diagnosis of solid hypo-echoic thyroid nodules.
Methods: A total of 87 SHTNs were imaged by both conventional ultrasound (CUS) and CEUS. The sonographic features, enhancement pattern, and dynamic perfusion changes of the thyroid lesion were evaluated and compared. The final diagnosis was based on histological findings.
Results: Of all nodes, 32 were benign, and 55 were malignant. The benign thyroid nodules mainly exhibited diffuse enhancement. The 55 malignant nodules mainly exhibited absent or faint dotted enhancement patterns. Quantitative analysis of CEUS revealed that the Peak enhancement and area under the curve (AUC) of malignant nodules were markedly reduced compared to those of benign nodules. Significant differences between CEUS and CUS were noted with respect to the sensitivity, negative predictive value, false negative rate and accuracy.
Conclusions: CEUS is a promising imaging-based approach that can assist in the differential diagnosis of solid hypo-echoic thyroid nodules.
