scholarly journals Impact of the ultrasonography assessment method on the malignancy risk and diagnostic performance of five risk stratification systems in thyroid nodules

Endocrine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Go Eun Yang ◽  
Dong Gyu Na
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Go Eun Yang ◽  
Dong Gyu Na

Abstract Purpose Ultrasonographic (US) assessment methods may affect the estimated malignancy risk of thyroid nodules. This study aimed to investigate the impact of retrospective and prospective US assessments on the estimated malignancy risk of US features, classified categories, and diagnostic performance of five risk stratification systems (RSSs) in thyroid nodules. Methods A total of 3685 consecutive thyroid nodules (≥ 1 cm) with final diagnoses (retrospective dataset, n = 2180; prospective dataset, n = 1505) were included in this study. We compared the estimated malignancy risk of US features, classified categories, and diagnostic performances of the five common RSSs between retrospective (static US images without cine clips) and prospective datasets of real-time US assessment. Results There was no significant difference in the prevalence and histological type of malignant tumours between the two datasets (p ≥ 0.216). The malignancy risk of solid composition and nonparallel orientation was higher and that of microcalcification was lower in the prospective dataset than in the retrospective dataset (p < 0.001, p = 0.018, p = 0.007, respectively). The retrospective US assessment overestimated the malignancy risk of intermediate-or high-risk nodules according to the RSSs. Prospective US assessment showed lower specificities and higher unnecessary biopsy rates by all RSSs compared to the retrospective US assessment (p ≤ 0.006, p ≤ 0.045, respectively). Conclusions The overestimated malignancy risk of microcalcification by retrospective US assessment mainly affected the estimated risk of classified categories by RSSs. The retrospective US assessment overestimated the specificities and underestimated the unnecessary biopsy rates by all RSSs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Russ ◽  
Steen J. Bonnema ◽  
Murat Faik Erdogan ◽  
Cosimo Durante ◽  
Rose Ngu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuehua Xi ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Luying Gao ◽  
Yuxin Jiang ◽  
Zhiyong Liang ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe incidence and mortality of thyroid cancer, including thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm, have been increasing in recent years. The current evaluation methods are based mostly on studies of patients with thyroid nodules &lt; 4 cm. The aim of the current study was to establish a risk stratification model to predict risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm.MethodsA total of 279 thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm in 267 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Nodules were randomly assigned to a training dataset (n = 140) and a validation dataset (n = 139). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to establish a nomogram. The risk stratification of thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm was established according to the nomogram. The diagnostic performance of the model was evaluated and compared with the American College Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS), Kwak TI-RADS and 2015 ATA guidelines using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).ResultsThe analysis included 279 nodules (267 patients, 50.6 ± 13.2 years): 229 were benign and 50 were malignant. Multivariate regression revealed microcalcification, solid mass, ill-defined border and hypoechogenicity as independent risk factors. Based on the four factors, a risk stratified clinical model was developed for evaluating nodules &gt; 4 cm, which includes three categories: high risk (risk value = 0.8-0.9, with more than 3 factors), intermediate risk (risk value = 0.3-0.7, with 2 factors or microcalcification) and low risk (risk value = 0.1-0.2, with 1 factor except microcalcification). In the validation dataset, the malignancy rate of thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm that were classified as high risk was 88.9%; as intermediate risk, 35.7%; and as low risk, 6.9%. The new model showed greater AUC than ACR TI-RADS (0.897 vs. 0.855, p = 0.040), but similar sensitivity (61.9% vs. 57.1%, p = 0.480) and specificity (91.5% vs. 93.2%, p = 0.680).ConclusionMicrocalcification, solid mass, ill-defined border and hypoechogenicity on ultrasound may be signs of malignancy in thyroid nodules &gt; 4 cm. A risk stratification model for nodules &gt; 4 cm may show better diagnostic performance than ACR TI-RADS, which may lead to better preoperative decision-making.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Schenke ◽  
Rigobert Klett ◽  
Philipp Seifert ◽  
Michael C. Kreissl ◽  
Rainer Görges ◽  
...  

Due to the widespread use of ultrasound, small thyroid nodules (TNs) ≤ 10 mm are common findings. Standardized approaches for the risk stratification of TNs with Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (TIRADS) were evaluated for the clinical routine. With TIRADS, the risk of malignancy in TNs is calculated by scoring the number or combination of suspicious ultrasound features, leading to recommendations for further diagnostic steps. However, there are only scarce data on the performance of TIRADS for small TNs. The aim was to compare three different TIRADS for risk stratification of small TNs in routine clinical practice. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of TNs ≤ 10 mm and their available histology. Nodules were classified according to three different TIRADS. In the study, 140 patients (n = 113 female) with 145 thyroid nodules (n = 76 malignant) were included. Most of the malignant nodules were papillary carcinoma (97%), and the remaining 3% were medullary carcinoma. For all tested TIRADS, the prevalence of malignancy rose with increasing category levels. The highest negative predictive value was found for ACR TI-RADS and the highest positive predictive value for Kwak-TIRADS. All tested variants of TIRADS showed comparable diagnostic performance for the risk stratification of small TNs. TIRADS seems to be a promising tool to reliably assess the risk of malignancy of small TNs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 102625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Yun Peng ◽  
Fu-Shun Pan ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Zhu Wang ◽  
Quan-Yuan Shan ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Grani ◽  
Livia Lamartina ◽  
Valeria Ramundo ◽  
Rosa Falcone ◽  
Cristiano Lomonaco ◽  
...  

Introduction: A taller-than-wide (TTW) shape is a suspicious feature of thyroid nodules commonly defined as an anteroposterior/transverse diameter (AP/T) ratio >1. An intraobserver variability of up to 18% in AP diameter evaluations has been described, which may lead to overreporting of this feature. To potentially improve the reliability of the TTW definition, we propose an arbitrary ratio of ≥1.2. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of this definition on diagnostic performance. Methods: We prospectively analyzed 553 thyroid nodules referred for cytology evaluation at an academic center. Before fine-needle aspiration, two examiners jointly defined all sonographic features considered in risk stratification systems developed by the American Thyroid Association (ATA), the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the American College of Radiology (ACR TIRADS), the European Thyroid Association (EU-TIRADS), and the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (K-TIRADS). TTW was defined according to the current definition (AP/T diameter ratio >1) and an arbitrary alternative definition (AP/T ratio >1.2). Results: The alternative definition classified fewer nodules as TTW (28, 5.1% vs. 94, 17%). The current and proposed definitions have a sensitivity of 26.2 and 11.9% (p = 0.03) and a specificity of 83.8 and 95.5% (p < 0.001). Thus, as a single feature, the arbitrary definition has a lower sensitivity and a higher specificity. When applied to sonographic risk stratification systems, however, the proposed definition would increase the number of avoided biopsies (up to 58.2% for ACR TIRADS) and the specificity of all systems, without negative impact on sensitivity or diagnostic odds ratio. Conclusions: Re-defining TTW nodules as those with an AP/T ratio ≥1.2 improves this marker’s specificity for malignancy. Using this definition in risk stratification systems will increase their specificity, reducing the number of suggested biopsies without significantly diminishing their overall diagnostic performance.


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