title: THE EFFICIENCY OF ULTRASOUND ELASTOGRAPHY IN THE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF THYROID NODULES.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficiency of ultrasound elastography (USE) in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thyroid nodules in 100 patients (79 females, 21 males, age range 18-78; mean age = 45.6 years) were evaluated with real-time freehand USE, using Hitachi EUB 7500 equipment and elasticity scores were obtained. The elasticity was scored as follows: Score 1, elasticity in the entire nodule; Score 2, mainly elastic nodule with the presence of inelastic areas not constant during real time examination; Score 3, constant inelastic areas prevalently arranged at the periphery of the nodule; Score 4, constant inelastic areas prevalently arranged at the center of the nodule; Score 5, no elasticity in the nodule. Also mean strain ratio values were calculated for all nodules.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-four (86%) of cases were benign and sixteen (16%) were malignant. Elasticity score 3 and higher and strain ratio higher than 2.485 had statistically significant relation with malignancy (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  USE including strain ratio calculations besides subjective evaluation of elasticity scores is an efficient imaging method which may contribute to the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yücel
authors.forename: P Uyar
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Göçün
authors.forename: S Aladağ
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taneri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oktar
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color