The Role of Elastography in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules

• The difference between AUCs for the reference diagnostic method (cytology alone)and the new (cytology + elastography) diagnostic method. [ Time Frame: 15 days ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Areas under the curves are estimated using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Chitney statistic. The gold standard is determined by anatomopathological examination of the excised tumor.
  
  

Ultrasound is considered the first line examination in the exploration of the thyroid nodule. Echotexture analysis often identifies nodules at risk of malignancy, but does not replace or exclude an additional cytological exploration. Cytology, although effective, also has limitations, particularly when samples are vesicular and it is difficult discern between a benign or malignant state. The creation of a noninvasive method in this context could help to avoid invasive tests or "useless" surgical procedures.

Ultrasound elastography, which assesses tissue deformability, may provide valuable information concerning benign soft tissue characteristics, whereas malignant lesions are harder in consistency. Interest in this method, already proposed for other organs, has recently increased due to the emergence of specifically created software that enables objective evaluation of the hardness of the nodule during a conventional ultrasound analysis. The main hypothesis of this study is that elastography should allow better selection of candidates for thyroid surgery.