Abstract
The present work has investigated the value of computed tomography (CT) features in the diagnosis of papillary thyroid tumors in the incidental thyroid nodules (ITNs). In the 82 enrolled patients, 101 thyroid nodules were incidentally found by the neck CT scanning, among which 49 were histologically confirmed to be papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) while the other 52 were nodular goiter (NG). The tumor location, size, shape, tiny calcification, cystic change, and signs of an irregular ring, marginal defects, and enhanced blurring were all depicted by CT features. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify independent predictors of PTC. The univariate analysis of PTC and NG showed that four CT features were statistically significant, including tiny calcification and signs of an irregular ring, marginal defects, and enhanced blurring. Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression model indicated that signs of an irregular ring, marginal defects, and enhanced blurring were strongly correlated with PTC, of which the odds ratio (OR) was 27.374 (95% CI: 5.871∼127.636), 28.587 (95% CI: 4.139∼197.460), and 4.315 (95% CI: 0.858∼21.694), respectively. In the predictive model of PTC, the value of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and Youden index was 87.8%, 94.2%, 91.1%, and 0.82 with a likelihood ratio of 15.1. Therefore, the signs of an irregular ring, marginal defects, and enhanced blurring may be helpful in the diagnosis of PTC in incidentally found thyroid nodules.
Highlights
Sonography is the primary imaging test for a palpable thyroid nodule or known thyroid malignancy, thyroid abnormalities are oftentimes firstly detected by computed tomography (CT) [1]
Univariate analysis revealed that four CT features including tiny calcification and the signs of an irregular ring, marginal defects, and enhanced blurring differed significantly between Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and nodular goiter (NG)
E sign of marginal defects is defined as discontinuous margins at the periphery of normal high-density thyroids or defects in CT scanning caused by the abnormal size of nodules at the periphery or outside area of thyroids [14, 17]
Summary
Sonography is the primary imaging test for a palpable thyroid nodule or known thyroid malignancy, thyroid abnormalities are oftentimes firstly detected by CT [1]. Further understanding of CT in ITNs will be favorable to the early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules [8, 9]. Previous works suggest that marginal defects and enhanced blurring were useful signs to the diagnosis of PTC [14]. The study upon the sign of an irregular ring is scanty, and the diagnostic value of multivariate analysis of multiple CT features in PTC has been rarely studied. We adopted a univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model to explore the value of CT features in diagnosing PTC in incidentally found thyroid nodules
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
