Background: We aimed to study the contrast-enhanced ultrasound features and parameters of patients with benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
Methods: A total of 154 patients diagnosed with thyroid nodules from January 2021 to December 2022 were selected as the subjects. They were divided into a benign nodule group (n=86) and a malignant nodule group (n=68). All patients were examined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound to analyze the features and the differences in parameters such as time to peak (Tp), mean transit time of contrast agent (MTT), peak intensity (PI), and area under curve (AUC).
Results: Using surgical histopathological results as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for diagnosing thyroid nodules were 88.24% (60/68), 83.72% (72/86), and 85.71% (132/154), respectively. Compared to the benign nodule group, the levels of FT4, and TT4 significantly decreased, whereas those of TPOAb and TGAb significantly increased in the malignant nodule group (P<0.05). MTT, PI, and AUC were positively correlated with FT4 and TT4 expressions but negatively correlated with TPOAb and TGAb expressions (P<0.05). The diagnosis of thyroid nodules combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters had an AUC of 0.950, sensitivity of 93.42%, specificity of 87.90%, and 95% CI of 0.832-0.987, and the diagnostic efficiency exceeded those of diagnosis with single indicators (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters MTT, PI, and AUC decreased in malignant thyroid nodules, being closely correlated with the thyroid function status. The images in combination with parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can be used to increase the accuracy of diagnosing benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
