Contrast-enhanced sonography of thyroid nodules

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Thyroid nodules are common, and differentiating benign from malignant ones is crucial for appropriate patient management.
• Accurate preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules can prevent unnecessary surgeries and guide treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
• To assess the utility of quantitative parameters derived from CEUS time-intensity curves for nodule characterization.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 189 patients with 213 thyroid nodules who underwent preoperative CEUS.
• Quantitative analysis of time-intensity curve parameters, including maximum intensity of peak (IMAX), rise time, and time to peak, using TomTec software.
• Comparison of CEUS parameters between pathologically confirmed benign (nodular goiter, follicular adenoma) and malignant (papillary carcinoma) thyroid nodules.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in rise time or time to peak among papillary carcinoma, nodular goiter, and follicular adenoma.
• A statistically significant difference in the maximum intensity of peak (IMAX) was identified between benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
• IMAX emerged as a potential discriminator for differentiating thyroid nodule malignancy.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative evaluation of CEUS parameters, particularly IMAX, is valuable for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
• CEUS offers a non-invasive method to improve the preoperative diagnostic accuracy of thyroid nodules.
• Further prospective studies may validate these findings and integrate CEUS into routine thyroid nodule assessment protocols.