Contrast enhanced ultrasonogrphy patterns in papillary thyroid carcinoma and correlation between degree of enhancement and tumor invasiveness

Abstract

Objective To study the enhanced patterns of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS), and explore the relationship between the degree of enhancement and extracapsular invasionand cervical lymph node metastasis of the tumor. Methods Seventy-three PTCs in 61 patients selected for thyroid surgery underwent conventional ultrasound andcontrast-enhanced ultrasound. The enhanced patterns were analyzed. The differences between different degree enhancement and extracapsular invasion and cervical lymph node metastasis of PTCs were compared. Results Seventy-three PTCs enhanced patterns showed that 52(71.2%) nodules with hypoenhancement, 13(17.8%) nodules with isoenhancement, 8(11.0%) nodules with hyperenhancement. Twenty-three (44.2%, 23/52) nodules with extracapsular invasion in hypoenhancing patterns, and 15(71.4%, 15/21) nodules with extracapsular invasion in isoenhancing or hyperenhancing patterns. There were significant differences between them(P 0.05). Conclusions The degree of enhancement are correlate to invasiveness in PTCs, PTCs with isoenhancement or hyperenhancement patterns were more often with extracapsular invasion. Key words: Ultrasonography; Microbubbles; Thyroid neoplasms; Adenocarcioma, papillary; Tumor invasiveness