Comparison of Efficiencies Between Shear Wave Elastography, Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy and American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System Scoring System in Determining the Malignity Potential of Solid Thyroid Nodules

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the efficiencies of quantitative shear-wave elastography, fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and American College of Radiology (ACR)-thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) scoring system in determining the malignity potential of solid thyroid nodules. In period between September 2014 and January 2016, 191 solid thyroid nodules of 189 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean shear wave velocities of the nodules were recorded by acoustic radiation force impulse method. All nodules were classified according to ACR-TIRADS scoring system and underwent FNA procedure. The cytopathologic results (after FNA) were benign in nature, atypical-cytology/suspiciously malign and highly suspicious of malignity in 117, 28, and 21 nodules, respectively. The specimen from FNA was insufficient in 25 nodules. Thirty-four nodules of 33 enrolled patients were operated, and the efficiencies of shear wave elastography, FNA, and ACR-TIRADS procedures were statistically analyzed; relying on the histopathologic results, the shear-wave elastography had 83.3% sensitivity, 93.7% specificity (with a cutoff value of 2,74 m/s), the FNA had 94.4% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity, and ACR-TIRADS had 88.2% sensitivity, 94.1 specificity in determining malignant tyroid nodules (P < 0.005). Quantitative shear wave elastography is concluded to be an effective, noninvasive, and practical imaging modality with a lesser sensitivity and specificity values than TIRADS unless a lower sensitivity but a higher specificity values than FNA (93.7% vs 87.5%) in considering the malignity potential of solid thyroid nodules.