Table 3. Effects of thyroiditis on the diagnostic performance of different US parameters and Q-USE in the diagnosis of cytologically indeterminate (Thy 3) thyroid follicular lesions.

Absence of thyroiditis (n = 80)
	Malignantnodules	Benignnodules	Sensitivity	Specificity	NPV	PPV	Accuracy	OR	p value
Echogenicity
Ipoechoic/mixed	19	30	95.0	50.0	96.8	38.8	72.5	19.0	<0.001
Others	1	30	(75.1–99.9)	(36.8–63.2)	(83.3–99.9)	(25.2–53.8)	(64.5–80.5)	(3.0-nd)
Microcalcifications
Present	12	24	60.0	60.0	81.8	33.3	60.0	2.25	0.119
Absent	8	36	(36.1–80.9)	(46.5–72.4)	(67.3–91.8)	(18.6–51.0)	(47.3–72.7)	(0.8–6.2)
Irregular margins
Present	16	8	80.0	86.7	92.9	66.7	83.3	26.0	<0.001
Absent	4	52	(56.3–94.3)	(75.4–94.1)	(82.7–98.0)	(44.7–84.4)	(73.3–93.3)	(7.1–93.3)
Strain ratio
<2.05	1	54	95.0	90.0	98.2	76.0	92.5	171	<0.001
>2.05	19	6	(75.1–99.9)	(79.5–96.2)	(90.3–100)	(54.9–90.6)	(86.3–98.7)	(23.4-nd)
Presence of thyroiditis (n = 60)
Echogenicity
Ipoechoic or mixed	12	13	60.0	67.5	77.1	48.0	63.8	3.1	0.042
Others	8	27	(36.1–80.9)	(50.9–81.4)	(59.9–89.6)	(27.8–68.7)	(50.5–77.0)	(1.0–9.3)
Microcalcifications
Present	8	12	40.0	70.0	70.0	40.0	55.0	1.6	0.439
Absent	12	28	(19.1–63.9)	(53.5–83.4)	(53.5–83.4)	(19.1–63.9)	(41.8–68.2)	(0.5–4.7)
Irregular margins
Present	12	0	60.0	100	83.3	100	80.0	nd	<0.001
Absent	8	40	(36.1–80.9)	(91.2–100)	(69.8–92.5)	(73.5–100)	(69.0–91.0)	nd
Strain ratio
<2.05	4	38	80.0	95.0	90.5	88.9	87.5	76.0	<0.001
>2.05	16	2	(56.3–94.3)	(83.1–99.4)	(77.4–97.3)	(65.3–98.6)	(77.9–97.1)	(13.5–412.0)

NPV, negative predictive value; PPV, positive predictive value; OR, odds ratio. In brackets the 95% confidence interval. nd, non-determinable.