Objective:

To evaluate the differential diagnosis value of real-time elastography for Hashimotos thyroiditis (HT) disease with benign or malignant thyroid nodules.

Methods:

Fifty-four cases (162 nodules) of HT disease were confirmed by biopsy or pathology. They were divided into benign nodule group and malignant nodule group. All nodules were classified with elastic images. The elastic strain ratios were calculated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of benign and malignant n

odules was drawn.

Results:

There were 54 cases with 162 nodules

including 131 benign nodules

31 malignant nodules. The elasticity grades for benign and malignant nodules were 0-Ⅱ

Ⅲ-Ⅳ. The mean values of strain ratios for benign and malignant nodules were 2.541.39

7.483.64. There was statistical difference between benign and malignant nodules in mean values of strain ratios (

t

=12.78

P

0.05). Taking surgical pathologic results as the gold standard

4.91 was regarded as the diagnostic cut-off by ROC curve. The sensitivity

specificity

positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 90.63%

81.25%

4.83 and 0.12.

Conclusion:

Real-time elastography technique can estimate the essence of the nodules in the patients with HT disease complicated with thyroid nodules

and can help to improve the diagnostic accuracy.