High-resolution ultrasonography for distinguishing benign from malignant thyroid nodules / 医学研究生学报

ABSTRACT

Objective The extensive use of high-resolution thyroid ultrasonography has markedly improved the detection rate of thyroid nodules ( TNs) .However, the ultrasonographic features of benign and malignant TNs usually overlap and have yet to be de-fined.This study aimed to investigate the ultrasonographic features and risk factors of malignant TNs by comparing their ultrasonograph-ic manifestations with those of benign TNs. Methods A total of 119 TNs (63 benign and 56 malignant) in 64 patients were includ-ed in this retrospective study.The gender, age, location of the TNs, and other variables were subjected to univariate analysis, the risk factors of malignant TNs were screened by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and the predictive value of the logistic regression model was assessed using the ROC curve. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk factors of malig-nant TNs in ultrasonography were irregular shape (OR6.166, 95%CI1.681-22.617), micro calcification (OR3.593, 95%CI1.800-7.169), and A/T ratio≥1 (OR17.577, 95%CI1.739-166.468).ROC curve analysis showed the area under the curve (AUC) to be 0.922 (95%CI0.868-0.976). Conclusion Such ultrasonographic manifestations as irregular shape, micro-calcification, and A/T ratio≥1 are valuable in identifying the nature of TNs.