ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic accuracy, sampling satisfaction, and safety of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) for thyroid nodules.MethodsThe databases of PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CNKI, and CBM were searched to collect the relevant studies on the diagnostic performance, sampling satisfaction, and safety of ultrasound-guided CNB and FNA for thyroid nodules. Revman 5.3 and Stata 15 software were used for meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 24 studies involving 25 388 patients were included. Meta analysis showed that: compared with CNB, FNA had poor diagnostic accuracy ［OR=0.26, 95%CI (0.15, 0.46), P<0.000 01］, poor sampling satisfaction ［OR=0.20, 95%CI (0.12, 0.33), P<0.000 01］, lower incidence of total complications ［OR=0.28, 95%CI (0.16, 0.50), P<0.000 1］, and lower incidence of bleeding after biopsy ［OR=0.62, 95%CI (0.48, 0.81), P=0.000 3］. However, there was no significant difference in the pain score ［WMD=–0.21, 95%CI (–0.57, 0.15), P=0.26］ between the two groups. Subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the accuracy of biopsy diagnosis of thyroid nodules with diameter less than 10 mm between the two groups ［OR=0.52, 95%CI (0.15, 1.81), P=0.30］, however, the accuracy of CNB in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules with diameter ≥ 10 mm was still better than FNA ［OR=0.26, 95%CI (0.12, 0.56), P=0.000 5］.ConclusionsCompared with FNA, ultrasound-guided CNB has a certain advantages in sampling satisfaction and the diagnosis accuracy of thyroid nodules with diameter ≥ 10 mm. CNB is better than FNA, but will bring higher risk of complication.
Objective
To compare differences of characteristics of ultrasonic elasticity imaging for benign and malignant small thyroid nodules with or without Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT).
Methods
The thyroid nodules with ≤1 cm size and the category 4A, 4B, 4C, and 5 of Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) were included into this study, and a further examination of real-time elastography was performed. The final diagnosis was relied on the pathological diagnosis. The elasticity score and strain ratio (SR) were recorded and compared between these two groups, respectively.
Results
Of the 424 nodules, 103 nodules were accompanied with HT (thyroid nodule with HT group), 321 nodules were not accompanied with HT (thyroid nodule without HT group). In the thyroid nodule with HT group, the area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve (AUCs) of the elasticity score and the SR was 0.685 and 0.676, respectively; the optimal cut offs of the elasticity score and the SR was 3 points and 2.45 respectively, their corresponding sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy was 75.7%, 57.6%, 68.0% and 75.7%, 60.6%, 67.6%, respectively. In the thyroid nodule without HT group, the AUCs of the elasticity score and the SR was 0.692 and 0.692, respectively; the optimal cut offs of the elasticity score and the SR was 4 points and 2.84, respectively; their corresponding sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy was 57.5%, 74.2%, 69.2% and 76.1%, 59.7%, 67.7%, respectively.
Conclusions
Elastography is helpful in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant small thyroid nodules. While, standards of elasticity score and SR value in differential diagnosis are different between benign and malignant small thyroid nodules with HT and without HT, elasticity score and SR ratio decrease in benign and malignant small thyroid nodules with HT.
Ultrasound is the best way to diagnose thyroid nodules. To discriminate benign and malignant nodules, calcification is an important characteristic. However, calcification in ultrasonic images cannot be extracted accurately because of capsule wall and other internal tissue. In this paper, deep learning was first proposed to extract calcification, and two improved methods were proposed on the basis of Alexnet convolutional neural network. First, adding the corresponding anti-pooling (unpooling) and deconvolution layers (deconv2D) made the network to be trained for the required features and finally extract the calcification feature. Second, modifying the number of convolution templates and full connection layer nodes made feature extraction more refined. The final network was the combination of two improved methods above. To verify the method presented in this article, we got 8 416 images with calcification, and 10 844 without calcification. The result showed that the accuracy of the calcification extraction was 86% by using the improved Alexnet convolutional neural network. Compared with traditional methods, it has been improved greatly, which provides effective means for the identification of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
Objective
To study the correlation between preoperative serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level and the malignant risk of thyroid nodules.
Methods
This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 959 patients with thyroid nodules. Ststistical analysis was conducted by SPSS 17.0 software.
Results
There were 959 patients with thyroid nodules, of which 746 cases were benign, and 213 cases were diagnosed as thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC). The preoperative TSH level of PTC patients was higher than that with benign nodules [(2.32±1.65) mU/L vs. (1.76±1.20) mU/L, P<0.001]. Moreover, the higher preoperative TSH level was, the higher risk of diagnosed as PTC would be. There was no correlation between the preoperative TSH level and tumor diameter, number of lesions, and lymph nodes metastasis in PTC (P>0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that, the preoperative TSH level was an independent risk factor for PTC [OR=1.315, 95% CI was (1.171, 1.477), P<0.001]. The best critical value of TSH in the PTC diagnosis was 1.575 mU/L. At this point, the sensitivity was 62.0%, the specificity was 53.4%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.602 (P<0.001).
Conclusion
There is a certain correlation between preoperative TSH level and malignant risk of thyroid nodules, and the risk increases with the raise of preoperative TSH level.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical value of ultrasonographic elastography (UE) for the differential diagnosis of benign/malignant thyroid nodules.
MethodsWe comprehensively searched the databases including The Cochrane Library (Issue2, 2013), PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang Data, Medalink, VIP and CBM from inception to the December of 2013, for including clinical research reports of determining thyroid nodules using ultrasonographic elastography. Literature screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction and methodological quality assessment were completed by two reviewers independently. Then Meta-DiSc software (version 1.4) was used for pooling analysis.
ResultsA total of 35 studies including 4 127 patients were included. The results of metaanalysis showed that, specificity, sensitivity, positive likelihood radio, negative likelihood radio and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 0.89 (0.88 to 0.90), 0.88 (0.86 to 0.90), 6.37 (5.44 to7.47), 0.13 (0.11 to 0.16) and 58.72 (43.12 to 79.98), respectively; and the area under SROC curve (AUC) was 0.936 9.
ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that ultrasonographic elastography has fairly high sensitivity (88%) and specificity (89%) in differential diagnosis of benign/malignant thyroid nodules. The positive rate in the malignant thyroid group is 58.72 times higher that in benign thyroid cancer with better efficacy in differential diagnosis, so ultrasonographic elastography is of effective and feasible diagnostic value for thyroid benign/malignant nodules.
ObjectiveTo explore value of ultrasound real-time elastography (RTE) technology for identification of benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 125 patients with thyroid nodules who underwent ultrasound RTE in this hospital from February 2018 to August 2019. All patients underwent RTE on the basis of conventional ultrasound. The ultrasound elasticity contrast index (ECI) was used as the evaluation index and the pathological examination result was used as the gold standard. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the value of ECI in the identification of benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of ECI.ResultsAmong the 125 patients with solid thyroid nodules, 51 were malignant nodules, 74 were benign nodules. The ECI value of patients with benign thyroid nodules was lower than that of patients with malignant nodules (2.71±0.83 versus 3.42±1.14, t=–4.030, P<0.001). The result of ROC analysis showed that the cutoff value of ECI to distinguish benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules was 3.07, area under curve of ROC was 0.806 [95%CI (0.717, 0.894), P<0.001], sensitivity was 80.3%, specificity was 70.4%. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the thyroid nodules with diffuse lesions, calcification, and maximum nodule diameter ≥1 cm were the risk factors for elevated ECI values (P<0.05). For the solid thyroid nodules without diffuse lesions, without calcification, and maximum nodule diameter <1 cm, ECI had the higher sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules (all exceed 80%), but these indexes were lower (under 60%) for the differential diagnosis of solid thyroid nodules with diffuse diseases, with calcification, and maximum nodule diameter ≥1 cm.ConclusionsECI obtained by ultrasound RTE can be used to differentiate solid thyroid nodules from benign ones. The presence or absence of diffuse lesions, calcification, and maximum nodule diameter are the influencing factors for ECI to differentiate solid thyroid nodules. In clinical diagnosis, it should be paid attention to the comprehensive analysis of the above factors.
ObjectiveTo investigate the dynamic changes of nodule volume in benign thyroid tumors after radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and to analyze the predictive value of risk factors for nodule regeneration. MethodsA total of 165 patients with benign thyroid nodules who received RFA treatment in the People’s Hospital of Yuechi County from June 2019 to June 2021 were retrospectively collected and divided into small nodule volume group (≤15 mL, n=116) and large nodule volume group (>15 mL, n=49) according to the median nodule volume at admission. The clinical data and serological data of the two groups were compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to adjust confounding factors to explore the relationship between initial nodule volume, vascular density, nodule location near critical structure and postoperative nodule regeneration in patients with benign thyroid nodules. According to the proposed Nomogram of the model, Bootstrap method was adopted for sampling verification, calibration curve was adopted to evaluate the calibration degree of the model, and area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was adopted to evaluate the model differentiation. ResultsIn the small volume nodule group, the proportion of unilateral nodule was higher, and the preoperative beauty score, preoperative symptom score, radiofrequency power, ablation time, total energy, operative time, intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay were lower or short, P<0.05. The change value of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), catalase (CAT) after operation in small volume nodule group were higher than those in the large nodule volume group (P<0.05), but change value of the free thyroxine (FT4), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were lower than those in the large nodule volume group (P<0.05). At 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after RFA operation, the nodule volume of the two groups decreased successively, and volume reduction rate (VRR) increased successively. The changes of nodule volume and VRR in the small nodule volume group were better than those in the large nodule volume group. In the large nodule group, the nodule volume was larger at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after operation, and the VRR was higher at 1 month after operation, the regeneration time was shorter, the number of residual nodules was higher, and the initial ablation rate (IAR) was lower (P<0.05). After adjusting for age, gender and other factors, the correlation effect value increased with the increase of initial volume and blood vessel density, and the differences in trend test were statistically significant (Ptrend <0.05). Nodules located near the critical structure had an increased risk of regeneration (OR=1.76, P<0.001). The Nomogram constructed according to the multi-factor model has good differentiation (AUC before and after ROC curve validation were 0.854 and 0.814, respectively) and accuracy (mean absolute error of 0.023). ConclusionsRFA achieved clinically relevant volume reduction in both ≤15 mL and >15 mL of single benign thyroid nodules, lasting for at least 2 years. However, the nodule VRR and cosmetic effect were better in the small volume nodule group, and the initial nodule volume, blood vessel density and location were closely related to nodule regeneration. The Nomogram model showed good differentiation and accuracy in predicting the risk of nodule regeneration, providing strong support for clinical decision-making.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic value of BRAFV600E mutation test in high-risk thyroid nodules with easily underdiagnosed fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) results.MethodsRetrospectively collected 122 cases of thyroid nodule who treated in the Hebei Petrochina Central Hospital between January 2017 and December 2018, all the cases admitted preoperative ultrasound and FNAB detection. All of the patients had the non-positive cytological results of FNAB and the high-risk features of ultrasound. Contrasted the postoperative pathological coincidence rate of combination of FNAB and BRAFV600E test with FNAB alone.ResultsThe BRAFV600E mutation rate was 27.0% (33/122). The positive rate of BRAFV600E mutation increased with the increase of ultrasound thyroid imaging reporting and data system(TI-RADS) grade (P<0.05), which was independent of patients’ age, gender, number of nodules, diameter of nodules, and FNAB results (P>0.05). The coincidence rate of FNAB combined with BRAFV600E mutation detection was higher than that of FNAB alone ［86.9% (106/122) vs. 69.7% (85/122), P<0.05).ConclusionsThe BRAFV600E mutation test can detect papillary thyroid carcinoma that might be missed by FNAB. We recommend that FNAB should be routinely accompanied by the BRAFV600E mutation test in the high-risk thyroid nodules.
In response to the “Healthy China 2030” strategy, the General Surgery Quality Control Center of Sichuan Province and the Thyroid Surgery Innovation and Transformation Branch of Sichuan Medical Science and Technology Innovation Association, jointly established 18 quality control (QC) nodes. This framework integrates evidence from many major domestic and international guidelines/consensus and regional clinical QC practices in Western China. The system encompasses three core dimensions: diagnostic logic accuracy (e.g., TQC-01 for targeted screening to avoid over diagnosis by specifying high-risk ultrasonography indications); evidence-based treatment hierarchy (e.g., TQC-06/TQC-08 standardizing staging protocols for surgical indications); treatment outcome optimization (e.g., TQC-17 for long-term quality-of-life tracking). A four-phase closed-loop management structure is implemented. Screening intervention: imaging restricted to high-risk populations. Standardized diagnosis: initial nodule evaluation with serological testing (TQC-02) and pathological verification (TQC-04). Treatment protocolization: stratified execution of surgery/ablation indications (TQC-10). Dynamic prognosis monitoring: 10-year survival tracking post-differentiated thyroid cancer surgery (TQC-17) and multidimensional ablation efficacy assessment (TQC-16). Under the collaborative governance of regional leading institutions, this framework has demonstrated significant impact: reduction of low-value care (e.g., avoidance of non-indicated biopsy for suspicious lesion <1 cm), elimination of critical process omissions (including mandatory TNM staging compliance), and advancement toward regional healthcare quality homogenization. These contributions establish a replicable paradigm for enhancing China’s national thyroid disease clinical quality ecosystem.
ObjectiveTo investigate research advance on the value of B-type RAF kinase (BRAF) gene mutation assisted diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in thyroid nodule.MethodThe recent literatures on the BRAF gene mutation and its combination with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules and PTC were collected and reviewed.ResultsThe BRAFV600E gene mutation was the most common type of gene mutation in the genetic molecule of PTC. The combination of the FNAC and BRAF gene mutation detection could improve the diagnostic value of the benign and malignant thyroid nodules, especially the diagnostic accuracy of PTC. However, the negative detection of BRAF gene mutation did not rule out the possibility of PTC. It still remained controversial that the detection of BRAF gene mutation could differentiate between the benign and malignant thyroid nodules.ConclusionsBRAF gene mutation detection has different diagnostic values in different types of thyroid nodules. It has considerable diagnostic value in thyroid nodules with high BRAF mutation incidence (suspicious for malignancy, undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance nodules) while presents false negative result in thyroid nodule with very low mutation incidence category to a large extent. BRAF gene detection might become a specific diagnostic molecular marker to promote diagnosis accuracy of PTC.
