Table 2.
Features of benign thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer in 3D gray-scale ultrasound [echogenicity, borders, calcification/microcalcification-like echogenic foci (CAL), shape in c-plane (parallel to ultrasound probe)] in multiplanar reformation mode (MPR) and by thin-slice rendering with surface algorithm (Surf).
| BENIGN Observer 1 |
BENIGN Observer 2 |
CANCER Observer 1 |
CANCER Observer 2 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECHOGENICITY: | |||||
| Hypoechoic | MPR | 20 | 22 | 12 | 11 |
| Surf | 20 | 21 | 11 | 12 | |
| Mixed | MPR | 17 | 17 | 4 | 5 |
| Surf | 22 | 20 | 5 | 4 | |
| Isoechoic | MPR | 17 | 15 | ||
| Surf | 12 | 13 | |||
| Hyperechoic | MPR | 1 | 1 | ||
| Surf | 1 | 1 | |||
| BORDERS: | |||||
| Ill-defined | MPR | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Surf | 5 | 10 | 8 | 9 | |
| Well-defined | MPR | 47 | 45 | 6 | 5 |
| Surf | 50 | 45 | 8 | 7 | |
| CALCIFICATION/MICROCALCIFICATION-LIKE ECHOGENIC FOCI | |||||
| Present | MPR | 31 | 34 | 14 | 13 |
| Surf | 43 | 41 | 15 | 14 | |
| Absent | MPR | 24 | 21 | 2 | 3 |
| Surf | 12 | 14 | 1 | 2 | |
| SHAPE IN C-PLANE | |||||
| Lobulated | Surf | 23 | 29 | 16 | 15 |
| Oval | Surf | 32 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
(mixed) echogenicity - hypo- and isoechogenic