ABSTRACT
Objective:To study the value of shear wave elastography (SWE) combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing the invasiveness of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), and analyze its risk factors.Methods:This study included 200 patients with pathologically confirmed PTMC who underwent surgery in Fenyang Hospital from January 2019 and June 2021. All were diagnosed with SWE and CEUS before surgery. The value of the two methods in diagnosing the invasiveness of PTMC was explored. The patients′ data were collected to screen the risk factors for the invasiveness of PTMC.Results:It was pathologically confirmed that among the 200 patients with PTMC, there were 112 cases with malignant nodules, 88 cases with benign nodules, 75 cases with cervical lymph node metastasis (including 71 cases with capsular invasion) and 125 cases without lymph node metastasis. CEUS parameters of malignant nodules were significantly higher than those of benign nodules ( P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of SWE combined with CEUS to diagnose capsular invasion were 94.66%, 85.60%, 89.00%, 79.77% and 96.39%, with high consistency with the pathological results ( Kappa>0.75). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that multiple foci, irregular shape, breakthrough capsule and small calcification were independent risk factors for the invasiveness of PTMC (VIF<3). The ROC curve results showed that the AUC of SWE combined with CEUS to diagnose capsular invasion was 0.772, and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 73.91% and 80.56%. Conclusions:SWE combined with CEUS can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy for the invasiveness of PTMC.