| Objective: To analyse the sonographic characteristics of solitary thyroid nodules after injection of ultrasound contrast agent,to investigate the contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS )whether it can improve the differential diagnosis rate of solitary thyroid nodules.Methods: The sonographic characteristics in 30 cases with solitary thyroid nodules proved by surgery and pathology were restrospectively analysed. To observe the dynamic enhancement pattern of each nodule, which were compared with adjacent thyroid parenchyma, was assessed with the time-intensity curve.The evaluated parameters were: the enhanced time, the time to peak, and the enhanced intensity. These data were compared with the histologic findings.Results :After SonoVue administration , papillary cancer in 5 cases showed early wash in, with a diffuse peripheral pattern enhancement and centripetal progression, early wash out in comparison with the adjacent thyroid parenchyma., and the enhancement intensities were higher than those of the adjacent thyroid parenchyma .In the 10 follicular adenoma cases, 7 cases showed lately wash in, with a homogeneous peripheral pattern enhancement , lately wash out in comparison with the adjacent thyroid parenchyma, the enhancement intensities were lower than those in adjacent thyroid parenchyma .In the 15 nodular goiter cases, 8 cases showed early wash in , with a peripheral pattern enhancement and centripetal progression, early wash out in comparison with the adjacent thyroid parenchyma, 14 cases showed that the enhanced intensities were higher than or approximate to those of adjacent thyroid parenchyma.Conclusions: The data of this study suggested that up to now overlapping findings had seemed in the characteristics of the solitary thyroid nodule dynamic enhanced patterns. But the contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) might provide useful, complementary information and quantitative analysis method for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules. |
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