Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: To re-analyze the concept of echographic thyroid patterns (ETP) and clinical diagnostic in thyroidology, proposed 10 years ago.

Material/method: i) Between 1996 and 2012, >25 000 thyroid ultrasound, linear probes, 7.5 MHz. ii) Description – eight ETP: pattern 0 – lack of thyroid, 1 – hypoechogenous pseudonodular; 2 – hypoecogen homogenous; 3 – micronodular hypoechogenous; 4 – macro (> 10 mm; ±micro) nodular; 5 – neomogenous hypo/hyper-echogenous pseudonodular; 6 – micronodular anechogenous; 7 – hyperecogenous diffuse (normal). iii) Patients: 1092 HT, 5 ‘sero-negative’ thyroiditis (T S-N), 61 thyroiditis with hyper-ATG-emia (T-ATG), 70 idiopathic mixedema (IM); 67 Graves-Basedow disease (GBD) without HT; 995 control. D. Fiability analysis = specificity 2011/specificity 2003.

Results: i) Number echographies/pattern/disease in table.

ii) Sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value and accuracy for P1: 62,64; 89,73; 88,79; 74,73.

iii) Test X2 (7 degree of freedom): >>24.36 <P<<0.001. iv) Reliability 96%.

Conclusions: i) From sensitivity, specificity and predictive positive value analysis, the classification proposed in 2003 (Rom. J. Endocrinol. Metab., 2003, 2(3) 40. OC.22) is extremely exact and correct (reliability: 96%). ii) VPP ~90 asks the diagnostic to be corroborated with antibody levels. Description ‘hypoechogenous-pseudonodular’ does not mean implicitly HT (could be T-ATG, too). iii) VPN 80% (pattern 4), means that, when there is a nodule over 10 mm, then HT is improbable. iv) When there are pattern 6 or 7, normality is almost sure. v) Pattern 5 suggest thyroiditis/ Graves-Basedow disease and thyroid hyperfunction.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.