A study of Correlation of Pre-operative US Elastography with Post-operative Histopathology in Patients with Thyroid Nodule

Document Type : Original Article

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Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: As the incidence of thyroid lesions continues to rise, accurate differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid nodules becomes essential to guide appropriate treatment decisions. Unnecessary invasive procedures should be minimized to optimize patient care. Ultrasound Elastography, a non-invasive imaging technique assessing tissue stiffness, has shown promising potential in this context.
 Aim of the work: This study aimed to validate the utility of ultrasonography with elastography in diagnosing benign versus malignant conditions of the thyroid gland by correlating the results with histopathology reports.
Patients and Methods: Twenty patients with thyroid swellings or nodules were included in the study. Demographic information, clinical features, and ultrasound findings were collected and analyzed. Elastography results were compared with histopathological findings to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the technique.
Results: By comparing the results of elastography with the results of the biopsy, the 10 benign nodules by elastography were confirmed by biopsy. However, from the 10 malignant nodules, 6 of them were confirmed by biopsy and 4 of them were diagnosed by biopsy to be benign nodules. Based on that the accuracy of elastography to differentiate the benign from the malignant nodules was 80% with a sensitivity of 96.6%, specificity of 71.4%, PPV of 60%, and NPV of 100%.
Conclusion: Ultrasound elastography proves to be an effective and non-invasive tool for diagnosing thyroid nodules, with a significant potential to reduce unnecessary interventions and improve patient care. Its role as a complementary diagnostic technique highlights its importance in guiding treatment decisions and evaluating prognosis for patients with thyroid pathologies. 

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