Role of ultrasound elastography in assessment of indeterminate thyroid nodules

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the role of ultrasound elastography as an additional technique in differentiating US indeterminate thyroid nodules in order to decrease the number of tissue biopsies.MethodsWe evaluated 30 patients with 36 indeterminate thyroid nodules based on US, criteria, by US elastography, using both the elastography score and strain ratio. Baseband US data were downloaded for off-line analysis. Elastographic maps (color coding) and thyroid stiffness index (strain ratio) were calculated for all nodules, with histopathological results being the standard reference. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff strain ratio for separating benign and malignant thyroid nodules.ResultsMalignant nodules had a higher degree of color and strain ratio compared to benign nodules, with a statistically significant difference (p