Diagnostic Value of American Thyroid Association Guidelines,American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System,and Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System Alone and Combined With BRAFV600E Mutation in Atypia of Undetermined Significance/Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore the diagnostic efficacy of American Thyroid Association(ATA)guidelines,American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Report and Data System(ACR-TIRADS),and Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System(C-TIRADS)alone and combined with BRAFV600E mutation in atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance(AUS/FLUS).Methods A total of 138 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration(FNA)in the Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2020 to May 2023 were selected.The clinicopathological and ultrasound characteristics were retrospectively analyzed for each nodule.Each nodule underwent preoperative BRAFV600E mutation testing and was diagnosed according to the ATA guidelines,ACR-TIRADS,and C-TIRADS.The diagnostic efficacy of ATA guidelines,ACR-TIRADS,and C-TIRADS alone and combined with BRAFV600E mutation was assessed based on the results of histopathological diagnosis.Results The 138 AUS/FLUS thyroid nodules included 45(32.6%)benign ones and 93(67.4%)malignant ones.The patient age(t=1.444,P=0.151),gender(χ2=0.259,P=0.611),and location of nodules(χ2=2.055,P=0.358)had no statistical significance for the differentiation between benign and malignant nodules,while nodule size(Z=2.500,P=0.012),echo(χ2=14.693,P<0.001),composition(χ2=17.075,P<0.001),aspect ratio ≥1(χ2=9.477,P=0.002),and microcalcification(χ2=6.892,P=0.009)were of significance for the differentiation.When applied alone,BRAFV600E mutation showed high specificity(95.56%)and positive predictive value(95.65%).Among the three ultrasound grading systems,ACR-TIRADS had the highest sensitivity(χ2=37.923,P<0.001;χ2=40.462,P<0.001)and accuracy(χ2=81.595,P<0.001;χ2=76.912,P<0.001),while C-TIRADS had the highest specificity(χ2=11.746,P<0.001;χ2=21.235,P<0.001).However,the three systems showed no statistically significant difference in the diagnostic efficiency when applied alone(Z=1.177,P=0.239;Z=0.213,P=0.831;Z=1.016,P=0.310).The combination of BRAFV600E mutation with ACR-TIRADS or C-TIRADS improved the diagnostic efficacy of BRAFV600E mutation in distinguishing the benign and malignant AUS/FLUS nodules(Z=2.107,P=0.035;Z=2.752,P=0.006).The combination of ATA guidelines with BRAFV600E mutation increased the diagnostic accuracy of BRAFV600E mutation(χ2=20.679,P<0.001),while it had no statistically significant difference in distinguishing the benign and malignant AUS/FLUS nodules(Z=1.321,P=0.186).The combination of ATA guidelines,ACR-TIRADS,or C-TIRADS with BRAFV600E mutation improved the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound grading systems for AUS/FLUS nodules(Z=2.770,P=0.006;Z=2.770,P=0.006;Z=2.890,P=0.004).Specifically,ACR-TIRADS combined with BRAFV600E mutation showed the highest sensitivity(χ2=4.712,P=0.030;χ2=4.712,P=0.030),while C-TIRADS combined with BRAFV600E mutation showed the highest accuracy(χ2=77.627,P<0.001;χ2=85.827,P<0.001).However,there were no statistically significant differences in diagnostic performance between the combinations(Z=1.276,P=0.202;Z=0.808,P=0.419;Z=1.615,P=0.106).Conclusion ATA guidelines,ACR-TIRADS,and C-TIRADS combined with BRAFV600E mutation can improve the diagnostic efficacy of BRAFV600E mutation or ultrasound grading system alone in AUS/FLUS nodules,which can facilitate the further management and treatment of such patients.

Comparative analysis of C-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS in the diagnostic efficiency of thyroid nodules / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic efficiency of the 2020 Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (C-TIRADS) and the 2017 American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR-TIRADS) in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the two-dimensional ultrasound image results of 324 thyroid nodules in 289 patients with thyroid nodules and thyroid nodules were performed in the physical examination of the Health Management Department of the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital from January 2018 to January 2019. A superficial professional doctor with a senior professional title simultaneously uses the C-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS methods to evaluate the above nodules. The results are all pathologically referenced for the χ2 test and the receiver operating characteristic curve is drawn. Results:The sensitivity of C-TIRADS in diagnosing benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 81.90%, specificity was 97.72%, accuracy was 92.59%, negative predictive value was 91.85%, positive predictive value was 84.51%; ACR-TIRADS diagnosis The sensitivity of benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 59.05%, specificity was 99.54%, accuracy was 86.42%, negative predictive value was 83.52%, and positive predictive value was 98.41%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.958 and 0.935( Z=2.31 P=0.021). Conclusion:C-TIRADS classification based on counting method is better than ACR-TIRADS classification based on sub-method in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. It has better efficacy and is more suitable for the current status of diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules in China.

Comparison of different ultrasound classification systems of thyroid nodules for identifying malignant potential: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: In our organization, it has been necessary in our organization to calculate the risk categories according to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology/Associazione Medici Endocrinologi (AACE/ACE/AME), and the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TIRADS) classification systems for each patient, from the year 2019; these are also required to be registered in the database. This creates a barrier to medical collaboration in everyday radiological practice because using multiple rating systems can be confusing for both readers and patients. For the change in routine practice, this study aimed to compare diagnostic parameters of the ATA, AACE/ACE/AME, and ACR TIRADS classification systems for the detection of suspicious thyroid nodule(s) considering the results of fine-needle aspiration cytopathology as the reference standard. METHODS: Data on ultrasound characteristics (2,000 nodules) and fine-needle aspiration cytopathology (39 nodules) were included in the analysis. The decision making of fine-needle aspiration biopsies was evaluated from the ultrasound characteristics as per the ATA, AACE/ACE/AME, and ACR TIRADS classification systems. RESULTS: The ATA, AACE/ACE/AME, and ACR TIRADS recommended 26, 32, and 37 nodules for fine-needle aspiration biopsies, respectively. Considering the results of fine-needle aspiration cytopathology as the reference standard, the ATA, AACE/ACE/AME, and ACR TIRADS classification systems had 0.993, 0.996, and 0.998 sensitivity, respectively. The accuracies were 0.641, 0.795, and 0.923, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ACR TIRADS classification system is less invasive and can identify suspicious nodules more accurately than that of ATA and AACE/ACE/AME.

A retrospective study of reducing unnecessary thyroid biopsy for American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems 4 assessment through applying shear wave elastography

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of the study is to quantitatively assess shear-wave elastography (SWE) value in American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (ACR TI-RADS) 4. Materials and methods One hundred and fifty-two ACR TI-RADS 4 thyroid nodules undergoing SWE were included in the study. The mean (EMean), minimum (EMin) and maximum (EMax) of SWE elasticity were measured. Results The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for SWE EMean, EMin and EMax in detecting benign and malignant nodules were 0.95, 0.83 and 0.84, respectively. Cut-off value of EMean ≤ 23.30 kPa is able to downgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 3 and cut-off value of EMean ≥ 52.14 kPa is able to upgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 5. Conclusions The EMean of SWE will probably identify nodules that have a high potential for benignity in ACR TI-RADS 4. It may help identify and select benign nodules while reducing unnecessary biopsy of benign thyroid nodules.

The interpretation of American College of Radiology white papers for the management of thyroid nodules imaging / 中国癌症杂志

Thyroid nodules are common diseases in neck. As the most commonly used imaging technique for the evaluation of thyroid nodules, ultrasound has a high accuracy of differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules. However, there are inter-observer variabilities in the diagnosis and description of thyroid nodules by ultrasound. And terms used to describe nodules are often poorly defined, which is the major cause of inter-observer variabilities. Several authors have recently described a standardized risk stratification system called the Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS), modeled on the BI-RADS system for breast imaging. And then they recommended corresponding fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or follow-up according to risk stratification. Despite these efforts, none of these TIRADS classifications have been widely adopted. With the widely use of high-quality imaging, incidental thyroid nodules (ITNs), which are defined as nodules not previously detected or suspected clinically, are increasingly prevalent. Most ITNs are small and benign. And incidental thyroid malignancies typically have indolent behavior. There is no unified standard for clinical management of ITNs by now. As a result, American College of Radiology (ACR) formed the Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee and ACR TI-RADS Committee. They published "Managing ITNs Detected on Imaging: White Paper of the ACR Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee", "Thyroid Ultrasound Reporting Lexicon: White Paper of the ACR TIRADS Committee" and "ACR TI-RADS: White Paper of the ACR TI-RADS Committee" from 2015 to 2017. Through establishing these white papers, ACR tried to provide guidance regarding management of thyroid nodules on the basis of their ultrasound appearance, standardize the diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules through the development of a lexicon and recommend a practical approach to managing ITNs on CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and ultrasound studies.

Mammographic Density Estimation with Automated Volumetric Breast Density Measurement

OBJECTIVE: To compare automated volumetric breast density measurement (VBDM) with radiologists' evaluations based on the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), and to identify the factors associated with technical failure of VBDM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 1129 women aged 19-82 years who underwent mammography from December 2011 to January 2012 were included. Breast density evaluations by radiologists based on BI-RADS and by VBDM (Volpara Version 1.5.1) were compared. The agreement in interpreting breast density between radiologists and VBDM was determined based on four density grades (D1, D2, D3, and D4) and a binary classification of fatty (D1-2) vs. dense (D3-4) breast using kappa statistics. The association between technical failure of VBDM and patient age, total breast volume, fibroglandular tissue volume, history of partial mastectomy, the frequency of mass > 3 cm, and breast density was analyzed. RESULTS: The agreement between breast density evaluations by radiologists and VBDM was fair (k value = 0.26) when the four density grades (D1/D2/D3/D4) were used and moderate (k value = 0.47) for the binary classification (D1-2/D3-4). Twenty-seven women (2.4%) showed failure of VBDM. Small total breast volume, history of partial mastectomy, and high breast density were significantly associated with technical failure of VBDM (p = 0.001 to 0.015). CONCLUSION: There is fair or moderate agreement in breast density evaluation between radiologists and VBDM. Technical failure of VBDM may be related to small total breast volume, a history of partial mastectomy, and high breast density.