Clinicopathological and Radiological Correlation Among the Spectrum of Nodular Thyroid Lesions.

Abstract

Objective The primary objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate nodular thyroid lesions. By analyzing the morphological characteristics of surgically resected specimens and biopsies, the aim is to establish correlations between the patterns, corresponding clinical diagnoses and radiological findings. Furthermore, the study will investigate cases where there is a discrepancy between imaging and pathological assessments, with the goal of understanding the contributing factors to this discordance and improving diagnostic accuracy. Methodology This retrospective observational study utilized convenience sampling to recruit participants. Sample size was determined using GPower software (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany).Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi 2.3.28 (Jamovi Research, Vienna, Austria).The Chi-square test was employed to assess the association between the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) score and histopathological diagnosis.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to identify the optimal TIRADS cut-off point for classifying nodules as malignant and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of TIRADS.Discordant cases between histopathological and radiological findings were analyzed to investigate potential discrepancies. Result Taking into consideration histopathology report as a gold standard, correlation of TIRADS with histopathology findings, TIRADS showed 73.08% sensitivity and 81.08% specificity, showing the strongest balance between sensitivity and specificity, as demonstrated by the Youden's Index and Metric Score. The area under the curve (AUC) remains constant at 0.805, suggesting a consistent overall discriminative ability of the TIRADS scale. Conclusion A primary advantage of this study is its exclusive focus on surgically resected nodules, which allows for definitive histological confirmation and thereby ensures the most accurate diagnostic assessment.