ABSTRACT
As a treatment option for cancer, thermal ablation has satisfactory effects on many types of solid tumors (such as liver and renal cancers). However, its clinical applications for the treatment of thyroid nodules and metastatic cervical lymph nodes are still under debate both in China and abroad. In 2015, the “Zhejiang Expert consensus on thermal ablation for thyroid benign nodules, microcarcinoma, and metastatic cervical lymph nodes (2015 edition),” was released by the Thyroid Cancer Committee of Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association, China. To further standardize the application of thermal ablation for thyroid tumors, the Thyroid Tumor Ablation Experts Group of Chinese Medical Doctor Association has organized many seminars and finally produced a consensus to formulate the “Expert consensus workshop report: Guidelines for thermal ablation of thyroid tumors (2019 edition).”
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of the study is to quantitatively assess shear-wave elastography (SWE) value in American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (ACR TI-RADS) 4. Materials and methods One hundred and fifty-two ACR TI-RADS 4 thyroid nodules undergoing SWE were included in the study. The mean (EMean), minimum (EMin) and maximum (EMax) of SWE elasticity were measured. Results The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for SWE EMean, EMin and EMax in detecting benign and malignant nodules were 0.95, 0.83 and 0.84, respectively. Cut-off value of EMean ≤ 23.30 kPa is able to downgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 3 and cut-off value of EMean ≥ 52.14 kPa is able to upgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 5. Conclusions The EMean of SWE will probably identify nodules that have a high potential for benignity in ACR TI-RADS 4. It may help identify and select benign nodules while reducing unnecessary biopsy of benign thyroid nodules.