Digital differential diagnostics of thyroid pathology by interference scanning of ellipticity polarization maps of...

Aim: To find out new objective criteria for laser histological differential diagnosis of thyroid pathology based on the use of a digital method of layer-by-layer polarization-interference mapping of polarization ellipticity maps of microscopic images of native histological sections of thyroid biopsy.

Materials and Methods: Four groups of patients were studied: control group 1 - healthy donors (51 patients); study group 2 - patients with nodular goiter (51 patients); study group 3 - patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (51 patients); study group 4 - patients with papillary cancer (51 patients). Methods used: polarization-interference, statistical.

Results: A brief theory and model concepts of the formation of structural optical anisotropy of polycrystalline networks of native histological sections of thyroid biopsy are considered. The structural and logical scheme of the method of polarization-interference layer-by-layer mapping of microscopic images of thyroid biopsies is presented. The statistical analysis of algorithmically reproduced maps of polarization ellipticity of experimental samples of biopsies of donors and patients with nodular goiter, autoimmune thyroiditis and papillary cancer was performed. Statistical objective markers for the differential diagnosis of thyroid pathology have been determined.

Conclusions: An excellent level (~93%-95%) of the balanced accuracy of differentiation of pathological conditions by the method of polarization-interference layer mapping was demonstrated.