Combined Use of the Strain Ratio and Elastography Score Can Help Surgeons in Choosing which Thyroid Nodule Needs Surgery

Mahmoud, Mahmoud Abdelbaky; Ouf, Tarek Ismail Ahmed; Abdelaziz, Heba Tharwat; Soliman, Ahmed Hassan; Ghaly, Ayman Magdy Botrous

doi:10.21608/asjs.2024.325481.1163

Combined Use of the Strain Ratio and Elastography Score Can Help Surgeons in Choosing which Thyroid Nodule Needs Surgery

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt

² Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Al Azhar University, Egypt

³ Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt

10.21608/asjs.2024.325481.1163

Abstract

Introduction: After Thyroidectomy, only 5%–15%of specimens are malignant. Most of procedures carried out of
concern for cancer. Although FNAC recommended, it is invasiveness, expense and nondiagnostic outcomes.
Aim of work: The aim of study was to investigate whether the simultaneous use of the strain ratio, elasticity score
together in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules can help surgeons deciding which thyroid nodule can left
for follow up and which needs to remove.
Patients and methods: In all, 154 individuals 180 nodules were included. For symptomatic nodules with an
elastography score of 1 or higher, as well as for nodules with a score of 2 or higher, all patients had complete
thyroidectomy. The reference was the specimen histopathology final diagnosis. The examination of the receiver
operating curve was used to calculate the values for the strain ratio and elasticity score.
Results: We had 35 malignant nodules and the elasticity score and strain ratio had a statistically significant (p <
0.001) success rate in predicting thyroid malignancy. Both had acceptable accuracy when employed independently,
yet the elasticity score’s accuracy was found to be higher than the strain ratio’s, however the difference not
statistically significant. When combined, they were 93.5% specific in identifying the right diagnosis.
Conclusion: More reliable findings obtained when the strain ratio and elasticity score are used for differential
diagnosis of thyroid nodules. For suspected thyroid nodules, combining the two techniques might be a viable
choice, helping surgeon avoids doing thyroidectomy.

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