Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging for differentiation of thyroid nodules

  • Background: Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI)-imaging is an ultrasound-based elastography method enabling quantitative measurement of tissue stiffness. The aim of the present study was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of ARFI-imaging for differentiation of thyroid nodules and to compare it to the well evaluated qualitative real-time elastography (RTE). Methods: ARFI-imaging involves the mechanical excitation of tissue using acoustic pulses to generate localized displacements resulting in shear-wave propagation which is tracked using correlation-based methods and recorded in m/s. Inclusion criteria were: nodules $5 mm, and cytological/histological assessment. All patients received conventional ultrasound, real-time elastography (RTE) and ARFI-imaging. Results: One-hundred-fifty-eight nodules in 138 patients were available for analysis. One-hundred-thirty-seven nodules were benign on cytology/histology, and twenty-one nodules were malignant. The median velocity of ARFI-imaging in the healthy thyroid tissue, as well as in benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 1.76 m/s, 1.90 m/s, and 2.69 m/s, respectively. While no significant difference in median velocity was found between healthy thyroid tissue and benign thyroid nodules, a significant difference was found between malignant thyroid nodules on the one hand and healthy thyroid tissue (p = 0.0019) or benign thyroid nodules (p = 0.0039) on the other hand. No significant difference of diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules was found between RTE and ARFI-imaging (0.74 vs. 0.69, p = 0.54). The combination of RTE with ARFI did not improve diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: ARFI can be used as an additional tool in the diagnostic work up of thyroid nodules with high negative predictive value and comparable results to RTE.

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Metadaten
Author:Jörg BojungaGND, Nina Dauth, Christian BernerGND, Gesine MeyerORCiDGND, Katharina Holzer, Lisa Voelkl, Eva HerrmannORCiDGND, Hartmut Schroeter, Stefan ZeuzemORCiDGND, Mireen Friedrich-RustORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-258560
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0042735
ISSN:1932-6203
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22952609
Parent Title (English):PLoS One
Publisher:PLoS
Place of publication:Lawrence, Kan.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2012/08/29
Date of first Publication:2012/08/29
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2012/09/02
Volume:7
Issue:(8):e42735
Page Number:8
HeBIS-PPN:35798966X
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 3.0