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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Author Spotlight: Integrating Ultrasound Imaging with Biochemical Markers for Thyroid Disease Diagnosis
Published on: February 9, 2024
Shear wave elastography in medullary thyroid carcinoma diagnostics.
Katarzyna Dobruch-Sobczak1, Anna Gumińska2, Elwira Bakuła-Zalewska3
1Department of Ultrasound, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Radiology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland.
Shear wave elastography (SWE) effectively identifies medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) as stiffer than surrounding tissue. This technique aids in preoperative diagnostics, complementing traditional methods like ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy for MTC.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Oncology
- Diagnostic Techniques
Background:
- Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an advanced ultrasound method for assessing tissue stiffness.
- Characterizing thyroid focal lesions, including for preoperative diagnostics, is a growing application of SWE.
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) requires accurate diagnostic methods for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical utility of Shear wave elastography (SWE) in diagnosing medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).
Main Methods:
- 169 focal lesions (including 6 MTCs) were analyzed in 139 patients using B-mode ultrasound and SWE.
- Lesion characteristics (echogenicity, echostructure, margins, calcifications, vascularization) and SWE-derived stiffness values (Young's modulus) were measured.
- Pathological and/or cytological evaluation confirmed lesion diagnoses.
Main Results:
- MTCs exhibited hypoechogenicity, micro/macrocalcifications, ill-defined margins, and heterogeneous echostructure.
- Shear wave elastography revealed MTCs to be significantly stiffer (mean EmaxLR 89.5 kPa) than surrounding thyroid tissue (mean EmaxSR 39.7 kPa).
- Specific stiffness metrics like EmaxLR, EmeanLR, EmaxSR, EmeanSR, and EmeanLRz were quantified for MTCs and surrounding tissues.
Conclusions:
- Shear wave elastography (SWE) demonstrates that medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) are stiffer than adjacent thyroid tissues.
- While B-mode assessment aids in lesion qualification for biopsy, MTC diagnosis relies on a combination of serum calcitonin, B-mode ultrasound, and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB).
- SWE shows promise as an adjunct tool in the preoperative diagnostic workup of MTC.
