RESUMO
AIM: To determine different perfusion characteristics of histo-pathologically proven adenomas and carcinomas of the thyroid gland with CEUS and perfusion software. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective perfusion analysis of 25 patients with carcinomas and 41 cases of adenomas of the thyroid gland (30 males, 36 females; aged 18 - 85 years, mean 56 years). All cases were histologically analyzed. Perfusion analysis was independently performed using external perfusion software (VueBox®). TTP, mTT, Peak and Rise time were calculated. RESULTS: Lesions' sizes ranged from 0.2 to 10.2âcm in carcinomas (mean 2.18âcm), and from 0.6 to 5.0âcm in adenomas (mean 2.25âcm). In 20 out of 25 carcinomas that were evaluated with CEUS, a complete wash-out in the late venous phase was found. Adenomas showed wash-out at the border.Perfusion analysis in VueBox® revealed some parameters which tend to show differences between adenomas and carcinomas, however did not reach the level of significance.Median Peak in carcinomas was highest at the margins (2945ârU), and lowest in the surroundings (1110ârU). Mean Transit Time (mTT) values showed no differences between center, margin and surrounding.In adenomas healthy tissue showed higher mTT values compared to the center (24.6 vs. 20.7âsec). Median Peak was highest in the surrounding tissue and lowest in the margins (1999 vs. 1129ârU). No statistical differences could be found in the comparisons. CONCLUSION: CEUS with perfusion analysis offers new possibilities for the dynamic evaluation of micro-vascularization in thyroid adenomas and carcinomas. Using VueBox® the perfusion analysis of the arterial phase provides new parameters that help determine a lesion's malignancy or benignity. However a final assessment regarding malignancy and benignity of thyroid lesions using only CEUS and perfusion analysis of the arterial phase is not yet possible.