Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography for differentiating diffuse thyroid disease from normal thyroid...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Endocrinology
• Pathology

Background:

• Differentiating diffuse thyroid disease (DTD) from normal thyroid parenchyma (NTP) is crucial for patient management.
• Computed tomography (CT) is a widely used imaging modality in neck evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT in distinguishing DTD from NTP.
• To assess CT's accuracy using multicenter data and compare it with histopathological findings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of neck CT scans from 229 patients who underwent thyroid surgery.
• Classification of CT images into four categories: no DTD, indeterminate, suspicious for DTD, and DTD.
• Comparison of CT findings with post-operative histopathological results.

Main Results:

• CT imaging demonstrated diagnostic utility in differentiating DTD from NTP.
• The presence of two or more CT features indicative of DTD showed the highest diagnostic performance (Az = 0.820).
• Sensitivity was 85.9% and specificity was 78.2% for the "suspicious for DTD" category.

Conclusions:

• CT evaluations are valuable for differentiating diffuse thyroid disease from normal thyroid parenchyma.
• No significant difference in diagnostic accuracy was observed based on radiologists' experience levels.
• CT imaging aids in the preoperative assessment of thyroid conditions.