Values of the Quantitative Parameters of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Benign and Malignant Nodules

Objective To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)quantitative parameters in the diagnosis of thyroid benign and malignant nodules. Methods The CEUS features of 85 histopathologically confirmed thyroid nodules were quantitatively analyzed using five parameters including rising time(RT),time to peak(TTP),area under the curve(AUC),maximum intensity(Imax),and mean transit time(mTT).The dynamic vascular pattern(DVP)curves were also drawn. Results The Imax(Z=-7.08,P=0.01)and AUC(Z=-2.03,P=0.04)of thyroid malignant nodules were significantly smaller than those of thyroid tissue,and the Imax(Z=-1.35,P=0.02)and AUC(Z=-0.21,P=0.02)of thyroid benign nodules were significantly larger than those of thyroid tissue.There were significant differences between thyroid benign and malignant nodules in Imax(Z=-4.16,P=0.00),AUC(Z=-3.01,P=0.01),and DVP curve types(P=0.00).RT(Z=-0.28,P=0.62),TTP(Z=-0.10,P=0.89),and mTT(Z=-0.79,P=0.05)were not significantly different between thyroid benign and malignant nodules. Conclusion The quantitative parameters of CEUS,especially Imax and AUC parameters,are valuable in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.