Ultrasound Real-Time Tissue Elastography Improves the Diagnostic Performance of the ACR Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System in Differentiating Malignant from Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Summary of 1525 Thyroid Nodules
Table 3
Comparison of conventional ultrasound features, real-time strain elastography scores, and TI-RADS categories between the benign and malignant nodules.
Features
No. of benign nodules (n = 726)
No. of malignant nodules (n = 799)
value
Composition
<0.001
Cystic (n = 15)
15 (2.1)
0
<0.001
Spongiform (n = 16)
16 (2.2)
0
<0.001
Mixed cystic and solid (n = 97)
71 (9.8)
26 (3.3)
<0.001
Solid or almost completely solid (n = 1,397)
624 (85.9)
773 (96.7)
<0.001
Echogenicity
<0.001
Absence (n = 31)
31 (4.3)
0
<0.001
Hyperechoic or isoechogenicity (n = 600)
498 (68.5)
102 (12.8)
<0.001
Hyperechogenicity (n = 61)
61
0
Hypoechogenicity (n = 863)
193 (26.6)
670 (83.8)
<0.001
Very hypoechoic (n = 31)
4 (0.6)
27 (3.4)
<0.001
Margin
<0.001
Smooth (n = 687)
573 (78.9)
114 (14.3)
ill-defined (n = 597)
129 (17.8)
468 (58.6)
Lobulated or irregular (n = 52)
11 (1.5)
41 (5.1)
Extrathyroidal ertension (n = 189)
13 (1.8)
176 (22.0)
Shape
<0.001
Wider-than-tall (n = 1,101)
691 (95.2)
410 (51.3)
Taller -than-wide (n = 424)
35 (4.9)
389 (48.7)
Echogenic foci
<0.001
None or large comet-tail (n = 766)
606 (83.5)
160 (20.0)
<0.001
Punctate echogenic foci (n = 547)
21 (2.9)
526 (65.8)
<0.001
Macrocalcifications (n = 122)
73 (10.1)
49 (6.1)
Periphera (rim) calcifications (n = 21)
15 (2.1)
6 (0.8)
Punctate + macrocalcification (n = 69)
11 (1.5)
58 (7.3)
<0.001
ES system of RTE
<0.001
Score 0 (n = 31)
31 (4.3)
0 (0)
Score 1 (n = 241)
236 (32.5)
5 (0.6)
Score 2 (n = 503)
417 (57.4)
86 (10.8)
Score 3 (n = 639)
39 (5.4)
600 (75.1)
Score 4 (n = 111)
3 (0.4)
108 (13.5)
TI-RADS
<0.001
1 (n = 31)
31 (4.3)
0 (0)
2 (n = 162)
159 (21.9)
3 (0.4)
3 (n = 430)
381 (52.5)
49 (6.1)
4 (n = 134)
72 (9.9)
62 (7.8)
5 (n = 768)
83 (11.4)
685 (85.7)
Note. Unless otherwise indicated, the data point is number of nodules, and the number in parentheses is percentage. value calculated by using the generalized estimating equation analysis. Fisher exact test.
