American Thyroid Association and Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology: which one is better at predicting malignancy risk?

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the capacity of American Thyroid Association and Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology in predicting malignancy risk of thyroid nodules and to verify which one is better at avoiding unnecessary fine needle aspiration. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with 565 thyroid nodules, followed at a tertiary care hospital, in an iodine-replete area. Those were classified as American Thyroid Association and Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology systems and stratified according to the Bethesda classification of fine needle aspiration. The values of sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value accuracy were calculated. Also, the percentage of unnecessary biopsies was presented. RESULTS: The mean age of the individuals was 58.2±13.5 [26-90] years for benign nodules and 41.7±15.6 [23-66] years for malignant nodules (p=0.002). Regarding gender, 92.6% (n=150) of the individuals with benign nodules and 85.7% (n=06) with malignant nodules were females (p=0.601). For American Thyroid Association, 90.9% of sensibility, 51.4% of specificity, 52.6% of accuracy, 10.2% of positive predictive value, and 98.9% of negative predictive value were found. For Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology, 90.9% of sensibility, 49.7% of specificity, 52.1% of accuracy, 9.9% of positive predictive value, and 98.9% of negative predictive value were found. .Notably, 12.3% of unnecessary fine needle aspiration were found in American Thyroid Association and 44.4% were found in Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology. CONCLUSION: Both Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology and American Thyroid Association are able to predict the malignancy risk of thyroid nodules. Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology was better at avoiding unnecessary fine needle aspiration.

Nódulos reumatoides: avaliação comparativa da resposta terapêutica com triancinolona e fluoruracil intralesional / Rheumatoid nodules: evaluation of the therapeutic response to intralesional fluorouracil and triamcinolone

Os nódulos reumatoides correspondem à manifestação extra-articular mais comum da artrite reumatoide, ocorrendo em cerca de 20-25 por cento dos pacientes. A etiologia é desconhecida. Apesar de os nódulos poderem apresentar remissão espontânea durante o tratamento, eles, em geral, representam um desafio terapêutico. Apresenta-se um caso no qual se avaliou a resposta dos nódulos reumatoides por meio de ultrassonografia após infiltração de triancinolona e 5-fluoruracil.

Rheumatoid nodules are the most common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis and are present in around 20-25 percent of patients. Their etiology is unknown and although the nodules may undergo spontaneous remission during the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, they usually constitute a therapeutic challenge. The present paper describes a case in which the response of rheumatoid nodules was evaluated by ultrasound following infiltration of triamcinolone acetonide and 5-fluorouracil.