title: [Usefulness of ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of thyroidal follicular tumor].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness of ultrasonography in distinguishing follicular carcinoma from adenoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ultrasound data of 37 patients with histopathologically confirmed follicular carcinomas who were treated in PUMC Hospital from January 2000 to November 2012 were retrospectively studied. In addition, 74 sex-and age-matched patients with histopathologically confirmed adenomas during the same period were enrolled as the control group. The pathologic results were regarded as the gold standard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Irregular shape (32.4% of follicular carcinoma vs 5.4% of adenoma), absence of thin halo (67.6% vs 36.5%), indistinct margin (21.6% vs 1.4%), hypoechoic appearance (64.9% vs 39.2%), punctuate calcification(40.5% vs 13.5%), absence of cystic change (78.4% vs 54.1%), and being complicated with other thyroid disease (56.8% vs 28.4%) were more frequently associated with follicular carcinoma than with benign adenoma (P<0.05). No significant difference in the echotexture and internal flow was observed between the two groups (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although follicular carcinoma and adenoma share many sonographic features, irregular shape, absence of thin halo, indistinct margin, hypoechoic appearance, punctuate calcification, absence of cystic change, and being complicated with other thyroid disease favor a follicular carcinoma diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Xing-jian
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu-xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Qing-li
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Rui-na
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult