Characteristics of incidentally found thyroid nodules in computed tomography: comparison with thyroid scintigraphy

Background In our daily experience, the differentiation between a cold and hot nodule is a very important factor for further clinical management of the patient. In this study, we compared the characteristics of incidentally found thyroid nodules detected on computed tomography (CT) to thyroid scintigraphy (TS). Methods Diagnostic reports from chest CT with intravenous contrast and TS examinations performed from January 2013 to January 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. We identified 70 subjects: 50 with thyroid nodules and 20 control subjects without thyroid nodules. The examination time of the TS was a minimum of two to four months after a chest CT. Chest CTs were performed in the arterial phase after the application of contrast media. Results Patients with a cold nodule had a significantly lower Hounsfield Unit (HU) Nodule(N)/Parenchyma (P) ratio values than the patients with a hot or warm nodule (P