Value of Quantitative Elastography of Solid Nodules in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the value of quantitative elastography of solid nodules at Tam Anh Hospital, including cut-off value, sensitivity, and specificity.
Methods: 130 patients with 135 thyroid nodules confirmed by pathological results underwent quantitative elastography at Tam Anh Hospital from April 2022 to November 2023. The following parameters were used: tissue stiffness of thyroid nodules and thyroid tissue. The diagnostic accuracy of shear wave elastography for thyroid cancer was determined by ROC analysis.
Results: The average patient age was 49 ± 12 years old. The mean stiffness of malignant and benign nodules was statistically significantly different, 47.7 ± 2.7 kPa vs. 24.9 ± 1.3 kPa, p < 0.01. The most accurate stiffness cut-off value was 36.5 kPa for Emean, achieving a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 84.7% for discriminating malignant nodules from benign nodules. Another index to differentiate malignant and benign nodules is the elasto ratio (ER). We suggest an ER cut-off threshold of 1.75, with sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 78.8%, respectively.
Conclusion: Quantitative thyroid elastography is a highly valuable noninvasive test for distinguishing malignant thyroid nodules from benign ones.