Radiomics in thyroid nodule assessment

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Data Science

Background:

• Thyroid nodules are common, requiring accurate diagnostic tools.
• Radiomics is an emerging field analyzing quantitative features from medical images.
• Current methods for thyroid nodule assessment can be improved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematize the application of radiomics in thyroid nodule assessment.
• To provide theoretical insights into radiomics for thyroid nodules.
• To evaluate the potential of radiomics in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and disease management.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of studies from March 2019 to March 2024.
• Searches conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar using 'radiomics' and 'thyroid nodules'.
• Inclusion of 50 peer-reviewed English studies on radiomics applications for thyroid nodules.

Main Results:

• Radiomics integrates medical imaging with computer data analysis for precise evaluation.
• Potential applications include enhanced diagnostic accuracy, disease progression assessment, and overdiagnosis mitigation.
• A critical assessment of radiomics methodology's strengths and limitations is provided.

Conclusions:

• Radiomics presents a potent instrument for the precise diagnosis and comprehensive evaluation of thyroid nodules.
• Systematizing radiomics utilization can significantly improve thyroid nodule assessment.
• Further research is needed to fully realize the potential of radiomics in this field.