Characterization of thyroid nodules by 3-D contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc
; 2008: 2229-32, 2008.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19163142
ABSTRACT
High resolution ultrasound imaging proved effective in the detection, analysis, and follow-up of thyroid lesions, even if interpretative pitfalls remain. Differentiation between malignant and benign nodules is a major challenge malignancy is often correlated to an increase in intranodular vasculature, due to rapid angiogenesis. We developed a three-step methodology to reconstruct intranodular vasculature based on 3-D contrast-enhanced images i) preprocessing; ii) morphological opening by using a structuring element coherent with the microbubbles appearance iii) thresholding and 3-D representation. We processed the volumes relative to 8 nodules (4 benign and 4 malignant, confirmed by needle biopsy) and we calculated the percentage of intranodular contrast agent. Results confirm that malignant nodules present a higher internal vasculature (52.3% +/- 15.7%) than benign (14.3% +/- 5.3%). Also, two experts reported the reconstructed 3-D volumes and scored the nodules characteristics, obtaining a good agreement with bioptic results. We believe this methodology could be useful to improve nodules differentiation in thyroid ultrasound exams.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aumento da Imagem
/
Nódulo da Glândula Tireoide
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc
Ano de publicação:
2008
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália