Abstract

BATALLES, Stella Maris; CAPOMASI, Mauricio; LONGO, Gabriela  and  VILLAVICENCIO, Roberto. Is possible to detect thyroid microcarcinomas with 2D ultrasound and Doppler study?. Rev. argent. radiol. [online]. 2008, vol.72, n.1, pp.47-50. ISSN 1852-9992.

Introduction: High resolution ultrasound has allowed the detection of increasingly smaller thyroid nodules. Are there any distinctive features in thyroid nodules that become them suspicious of malignity at 2D ultrasound and color Doppler studies? Objective: To evaluate if the ultrasound characteristics found in the 10 mm nodules were useful to detect thyroid microcarcinomas (TMC). Materials and Methods: 201 patients subjected to thyroidectomy between January 2005 and January 2007. Information was gathered about the clinical characteristics and the ultrasound factors suspicious of malignancy: solid nodules, micro calcifications and intranodular vascularization. A qualitative and quantitative observational study was performed using a descriptive design (report of a series of cases). Results: 20 TMCs were found in 18 women and 2 men of similar ages: 48.2 ± 3.4 years (±SEM), median: 53 years, range: 19-69 years. TMC's clinical presentation was 5 solitary nodule goiters and 15 multinodular goiters. All solitary nodule goiters and 7/15 multinodular goiters presented one or more clinical factors suspicious of malignancy that were verified at the preoperatory stage through a cytological fine needle aspiration suspicious or positive for carcinoma and then confirmed by the histo-pathological exam of the surgical specimen. The other 8/15 TMCs were findings of the frozen section biopsy or the histology study done later. Conclusion: The diagnostic capability of the 2D ultrasound and color Doppler studies in the pre-surgical determination of the malignancy risk of thyroid nodules ≤ 10 mm in diameter was limited, in our experience, to the solitary nodule goiters and to 50% of the multinodular goiters. The indication of surgical treatment of the nodules with suspicious ultrasound factors of malignancy was always confirmed by cytology.

Keywords : Ultrasound; Color Doppler; Thyroid microcarcinomas.

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