Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Thyroid nodule is a common finding in neck ultrasonography performed in adult age group. Appropriate management of patients with thyroid nodules accuretly is very difficult process. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), is the traditional invasive method used to identify nodules. Investigations are continuing for noninvasive techniques. Elastography is the imaging new technic,to evaluate the nodules. Aim of this study to evaluate the results of FNAB and elastography performed in patients with thyroid nodules.

Methods: 173 thyroid nodules were examined by Elastography and fine needle aspiration biopsy. Strain elastography was performed with Siemens Acuson s1000 14L5 lineer transducer. Elastography findings were evaluated together with b-mode ultrasonography. The susceptible nodules with an S/R ratio of over 2,6 were accepted as malignant nodules.

Results: Results of 155 (89%) FNAB were benign, 18 (10.4%) were malignant. The elastographic appearance was categorized at the time of the examination, 154 (89%) of them were categorised as benign and 19 (10.9%) of them were categorized as malignant. The sensitivity of Elastography for malignancy was 90.0%, specificity was 22%, PPV was 21%, NPV was 90% and accuracy was 83.2%.

Conclusion: Elastography seems to require more experimentation in this regard with hope being a technique. Our study strongly suggests, biopsy is still the most reliable method for the evaluation of nodules.