Sonographic detection of thyroid pyramidal lobes before thyroid surgery: a prospective single-center study.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the rate of preoperative sonographic detection of thyroid pyramidal lobes with subsequent surgical findings as the reference standard.


METHODS
From January 2013 to March 2013, a single radiologist prospectively performed thyroid sonography to detect thyroid pyramidal lobes in consecutive patients who were scheduled for thyroid surgery on the same day. The location, anteroposterior and transverse diameters, length, and location of the upper end of each thyroid pyramidal lobe and its separation or contiguity with the main thyroid gland were investigated by thyroid sonography and surgery.


RESULTS
The types of thyroid surgery included total thyroidectomy (n = 85), subtotal thyroidectomy (n = 4), and hemithyroidectomy (n = 43). The surgical incidence of thyroid pyramidal lobes was 59.8% (79 of 132), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of sonography for detection of thyroid pyramidal lobes were 81.0%, 79.2%, 85.3%, 73.7%, and 80.3%, respectively. The mean values for the anteroposterior diameter, transverse diameter, and length of the 79 thyroid pyramidal lobes at surgery were 2.2, 6.2, and 26.5 mm, respectively, but these measurements did not show statistically significant correlations with the sonographic detection rate of thyroid pyramidal lobes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicates that thyroid sonography may be helpful for identifying the presence and location of thyroid pyramidal lobes.
Department of General Surgery, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 633-165 Gaegeum-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-734, Korea. hasus@hanmail.net.
Dong Wook
DW
Kim
Tae Kwun
TK
Ha
Ha Kyoung
HK
Park
Taewoo
T
Kang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
general ultrasound; pyramidal lobe; sonography; surgery; thyroid