Shear wave elastography diagnosis of the diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case report

The present study aimed to report the shear wave elastography (SWE) findings in a patient with the diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (DSVPTC). Since patients with DSVPTC may present with typical clinicopathological features and initially appear to have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a thorough clinical evaluation and an early diagnosis are important. A 20-year-old female patient presented with a 1-month history of a neck mass and sore throat. Conventional ultrasound and SWE were performed using an AIXPLORER system with 14-5 MHz linear transducer. The patient had undergone total thyroidectomy and bilateral neck lymph node dissection, and an intraoperative pathology consultation to confirm the malignancy of lymph node metastasis. Pathological diagnosis was DSVPTC in both lobes, with lymph node metastases in the bilateral neck. The clinical presentation and serological findings were all indicative of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Thyroid ultrasonography revealed diffuse enlargement of the both lobes, heterogenous echogenicity without mass formation, diffuse scattered microcalcifications and poor vascularization. SWE revealed stiff values of the thyroid: The mean stiffness was 99.7 kpa, the minimum stiffness was 59.1 kpa and the maximum stiffness was 180.1 kpa. The maximum stiffness of the DSVPTC (180.1 kpa) was higher compared with the diagnostic criteria of malignant thyroid nodules (65 kPa). SWE may be considered as a novel and valuable method to diagnose DSVPC.