The Value Of Combined Scoring Of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound And Ultrasonic Elastography In The Differential Diagnosis Of TI-RADS 4 Nodules

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of combined scoring of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)and ultrasonic elastography(UE)for Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Date System(TI-RADS)4 type nodules.Methods and Materials:The CEUS and UE features of 520 TI-RADS 4 type nodules were analyzed retrospectively.The scores of each nodule were evaluated and compared with pathological results and fine-needle aspiration cytology(FNAC).ROC curve was used to compare the diagnostic value of CEUS combined with UE or alone in the differential diagnosis of TI-RADS 4 nodules.Results:The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and area under the curve(AUC)of UE were 82.34%,82.25%,82.31%and 0.841,respectively,when the cut-off value of UE score was 4.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and AUC of CEUS were 78.63%,65.68%,74.42%and 0.75,respectively,when the cut-off value of CEUS score was 4.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and AUC of CEUS combined with UE were 78.63%,65.68%,74.42%and 0.885,respectively,when the cut-off value of combined score was 6.The sensitivity,accuracy of combined score were higher than those of two other methods,the difference was statistically significant(all P<0.05),the AUC of combined score was the biggesr,it had the highest diagonistic efficacy.Conclusion:Combined scoring of CEUS and UE can improve the accuracy in the differential diagnosis of TI-RADS 4 type nodules.