Ultrasonography(US) and the new applications US elastography(USE) and contrast-enhanced US(CEUS) are used in the screening of thyroid nodules,for which fine-needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB) is the best single diagnostic...Ultrasonography(US) and the new applications US elastography(USE) and contrast-enhanced US(CEUS) are used in the screening of thyroid nodules,for which fine-needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB) is the best single diagnostic test.The aim of the study was to compare the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and accuracy of the four examinations in nodules with cytological and histological diagnoses.The study used data from US,FNAB,USE(elasticity(ELX 2/1) index),and CEUS(Peak index and time to peak(TTP) index) evaluated in 73 thyroid nodules in 63 consecutive patients likely to undergo surgery.Cytological-histological correlation was available for 38 nodules.No correlation emerged between nodule size and cytological results.A significant(P=0.03) positive correlation between cumulative US findings and cytological results was found.In addition,significant correlations between cumulative US findings and cytology(P=0.02) and between cumulative US findings and histology(P<0.0001) were found.US showed the best specificity and PPV,and FNAB the best sensitivity.There was no significant difference in the ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,or TTP index among nodules subdivided according to cytological scores.No significant correlation was found between ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,and TTP index,on the one hand,and nodule size,US cumulative findings,cytology,and histology on the other hand.The sensitivity of the ELX 2/1 index was high,but its specificity was very low.The accuracy and PPV of USE were lower than those of the other procedures.Only the correlation between Peak index and cumulative US findings reached a value close to significance.Our ultimate aim is to minimise unnecessary thyroidectomy.US and FNAB continue to play a central diagnostic role.The use of a US score showed high specificity and PPV.The specificity of FNAB was low in this selected series because of the numbers of indeterminate cytological responses.USE and CEUS are innovative techniques that need to be standardized.The ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,and TTP index seem to be unrelated to histology.The best statistical data on USE and CEUS concerned their sensitivity and PPV,respectively.At present,USE and CEUS are too time-consuming and of limited utility in selecting patients for surgery.展开更多
The cytology of 130 indeterminate nodules （Thy 3） was retrospectively reviewed according to the British Thyroid Association 2014 classification. Nodules were divided into Thy 3a （atypical features） and Thy 3f （fo...The cytology of 130 indeterminate nodules （Thy 3） was retrospectively reviewed according to the British Thyroid Association 2014 classification. Nodules were divided into Thy 3a （atypical features） and Thy 3f （follicular lesion） categories. Histology was available as a reference for 97 nodules. Pre-surgical evaluations comprised biochemical tests, color-Doppler ultrasonogrephy （US）, semi-quantitative elastography-US （USE）, contrast-enhanced US （CEUS）, and mutation analysis from cytological slides. Thyroid malignancy was the final diagnosis for 19% of surgically- treated nodules. No statistically significant difference in the risk of malignancy was found between Thy 3a （26%） and Thy 3f （14%） nodules. Histology of the Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules showed a higher incidence of Hurtle cell adenomas in Thy 3f （29%） than in Thy 3a （3%） nodules （P=0.01）. The only pre-surgical difference concerned the BRAF V600E mutation, which was positive in some Thy 3a but not in any Thy 3f nodules （P=0.04）. Receiver-operating characteristic （ROC） analysis was used to obtain cut-off values from US （score）, USE （ELX 2/1 strain index）, and CEUS （time-to- peak index and peak index） data. The cut-off values were similar for Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules. Data showed that malignancy can be suspected if the US score is 〉2, ELX 1/2 strain index 〉1, time-to-peakindex 〉1, and peak index 〈1. In a sub-group of 24 revised nodules （12 Thy 3a and 12 Thy 3f） with histology as a reference, the diagnostic power of cumulative pre-surgical analysis by means of US, USE, and CEUS showed high positive and negative predictive values （83% and 100%, respectively） for the presence of malignancy in Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules. In conclusion, in our series of revised Thy 3 nodules, malignancy was low and displayed no significant differences between Thy 3a and Thy 3f categories. The use of cut-offs based on histology as a reference could reduce surgery. Our data support the conviction that, in mutation-negative Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules, observation should be the first choice when not all instrumental results are suspect.展开更多
文摘Ultrasonography(US) and the new applications US elastography(USE) and contrast-enhanced US(CEUS) are used in the screening of thyroid nodules,for which fine-needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB) is the best single diagnostic test.The aim of the study was to compare the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and accuracy of the four examinations in nodules with cytological and histological diagnoses.The study used data from US,FNAB,USE(elasticity(ELX 2/1) index),and CEUS(Peak index and time to peak(TTP) index) evaluated in 73 thyroid nodules in 63 consecutive patients likely to undergo surgery.Cytological-histological correlation was available for 38 nodules.No correlation emerged between nodule size and cytological results.A significant(P=0.03) positive correlation between cumulative US findings and cytological results was found.In addition,significant correlations between cumulative US findings and cytology(P=0.02) and between cumulative US findings and histology(P<0.0001) were found.US showed the best specificity and PPV,and FNAB the best sensitivity.There was no significant difference in the ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,or TTP index among nodules subdivided according to cytological scores.No significant correlation was found between ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,and TTP index,on the one hand,and nodule size,US cumulative findings,cytology,and histology on the other hand.The sensitivity of the ELX 2/1 index was high,but its specificity was very low.The accuracy and PPV of USE were lower than those of the other procedures.Only the correlation between Peak index and cumulative US findings reached a value close to significance.Our ultimate aim is to minimise unnecessary thyroidectomy.US and FNAB continue to play a central diagnostic role.The use of a US score showed high specificity and PPV.The specificity of FNAB was low in this selected series because of the numbers of indeterminate cytological responses.USE and CEUS are innovative techniques that need to be standardized.The ELX 2/1 index,Peak index,and TTP index seem to be unrelated to histology.The best statistical data on USE and CEUS concerned their sensitivity and PPV,respectively.At present,USE and CEUS are too time-consuming and of limited utility in selecting patients for surgery.
文摘The cytology of 130 indeterminate nodules （Thy 3） was retrospectively reviewed according to the British Thyroid Association 2014 classification. Nodules were divided into Thy 3a （atypical features） and Thy 3f （follicular lesion） categories. Histology was available as a reference for 97 nodules. Pre-surgical evaluations comprised biochemical tests, color-Doppler ultrasonogrephy （US）, semi-quantitative elastography-US （USE）, contrast-enhanced US （CEUS）, and mutation analysis from cytological slides. Thyroid malignancy was the final diagnosis for 19% of surgically- treated nodules. No statistically significant difference in the risk of malignancy was found between Thy 3a （26%） and Thy 3f （14%） nodules. Histology of the Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules showed a higher incidence of Hurtle cell adenomas in Thy 3f （29%） than in Thy 3a （3%） nodules （P=0.01）. The only pre-surgical difference concerned the BRAF V600E mutation, which was positive in some Thy 3a but not in any Thy 3f nodules （P=0.04）. Receiver-operating characteristic （ROC） analysis was used to obtain cut-off values from US （score）, USE （ELX 2/1 strain index）, and CEUS （time-to- peak index and peak index） data. The cut-off values were similar for Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules. Data showed that malignancy can be suspected if the US score is 〉2, ELX 1/2 strain index 〉1, time-to-peakindex 〉1, and peak index 〈1. In a sub-group of 24 revised nodules （12 Thy 3a and 12 Thy 3f） with histology as a reference, the diagnostic power of cumulative pre-surgical analysis by means of US, USE, and CEUS showed high positive and negative predictive values （83% and 100%, respectively） for the presence of malignancy in Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules. In conclusion, in our series of revised Thy 3 nodules, malignancy was low and displayed no significant differences between Thy 3a and Thy 3f categories. The use of cut-offs based on histology as a reference could reduce surgery. Our data support the conviction that, in mutation-negative Thy 3a and Thy 3f nodules, observation should be the first choice when not all instrumental results are suspect.
