title: Comparison analysis between conventional ultrasonography and ultrasound elastography of thyroid nodules.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of conventional ultrasonography and ultrasound elastography in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodular diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  244 patients with 291 thyroid nodules were examined by ultrasonography and ultrasound elastography respectively; the examination results were compared against pathological findings to determine the effectiveness of these two examination methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and positive predictive value of conventional ultrasonography is higher than those of ultrasound elastography, but its specificity, accuracy, and negative predictive value is lower than those of the later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound elastography is superior to conventional ultrasonography in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. However, ultrasonography is the basis of examination; only on this basis, an additional ultrasound elastography examination could greatly improve the diagnostic rate of thyroid nodular diseases.
authors.affiliation: People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, Department of Ultrasound, Guangdong, China. cinufzu@163.com
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shuzhen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult