Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Thyroid ultrasound is a widely used tool in monitoring thyroid nodule, allowing us to assess the size and other sonographic signs suspicious of malignancy, facilitating decisions about diagnosis and treatment.

Objectives: To evaluate the presence of ultrasonographic signs suggestive of malignancy in patients with thyroid carcinoma in our hospital.

Material and methods: Retrospective study of 63 patients with thyroid carcinoma in our hospital (2009–2011). We analyzed: age, sex, sonographic features (ECO held during the year before surgery) and pathological definitive diagnosis.

Results: We analyzed 63 patients, 54 were women (83.1%) with mean age of 49.23±15.48 years. The final pathologic diagnosis was: papillary thyroid carcinoma: 84.6%, follicular thyroid carcinoma: 10.8%, medullary carcinoma: 1.5% and others 3.1%.

Previous ultrasound data: 41 (63.1%) were single nodule, the rest were multinodular thyroid goitier. The average size of the nodule was 27.6±16.5 mm. 50 nodules (76.9%), were solid, the rest were solid-cystic. Hypoechogenicity was reported in 19 (30.6%) (no record of echogenicity 58%), calcifications in 13 (20.6%), central intranodular vascularization in 10 (15.9%), irregular margins in 5 (7.7%) peripheral halo formation in 9 (14.3%) and presence of regional lymphadenopathy in 9 (15%). With respect to volume, three-dimensional sonographic size was reported in 29.5%, two in 26.2% and only one in 44.3%.

We detected at least one ultrasound data suggestive of malignancy in 42.8%, two in 31.7%, three in 11.1% and four in 7.9%. These data were not detected in 6.3% (4 patients).

Conclusion: Our results confirm that thyroid ultrasound can help in the management of thyroid carcinoma because most patients had any signs of malignancy.