Evaluation of Confounding Factors of Strain Sonoelastography in Patients With Thyroid Nodules

Abstract

Thyroid nodule elastography has been exceedingly used for the differentiation of benign and malignant nodules. Determination of confounding factors of the results of sonoelastography in thyroid nodules when assessing the probability of malignancy is an issue of importance, and this matter needs further research. In this study, the contributing factors to the results of strain sonoelastography in cases of thyroid nodules were assessed in order to help the clinicians for better management and decision making. In this diagnostic study in Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2018 and 2019, a total of 92 consecutive patients with thyroid nodules were assessed by grayscale ultrasound and strain sonoelastogaphy, and the contributing factors to the results of sonoelastography were determined according to low and high malignancy probability elasticity scores. The results in this study demonstrated that there were 57 cases (62%) with low probability scores and 35 patients (38%) with high probability scores according to strain sonoelastogaphy. The patient’s age and nodule grayscale characteristics such as shape, echogenicity, margin, composition, size, and calcification were not related to sonoelastography results (P>0.05). This study showed that results of sonoelastography are not related to demographic factors and gray-scale sonographic features of the nodules.