Table 1.

Reported sensitivities and specificities of US characteristics for the presence of malignancy in thyroid nodules

	Diagnostic value	Rago et al. [16]	Papini et al. [17]	Kim et al. [18]	Cappelli et al. [19]	Moon et al. [20]	Russ et al. [33]	Trimboli et al. [22]	Bojunga et al. [21]	Bojunga et al. [23]	Zhang et al. [24]	Reported range
Cases		104	402	155	6,135	849	500	498	639	158	173	104 – 6,135
Carcinomas, %		29	8	30	5	42	3.2	25	24	13	25	3 – 42
Study design		?	P	P	R	R	R	P	meta-analysis	?	?
Absent halo	sensitivity	67					87			90	91	67 – 91
	specificity	77					34			37	50	34 – 77
Macrocalcifications	sensitivity					10	33					10 – 33
	specificity					96	87					87 – 96
Calcifications (type not specified)	sensitivity				72							72
	specificity				71							71
Microcalcifications	sensitivity	54	29	59		44	38	31		71	52	29 – 71
	specificity	76	95	86		91	99	98		67	89	67 – 99
Hypoechogenicity	sensitivity	67	87		81	87	67	72		62	98	67 – 98
	specificity	49	43		47	58	87	60		65	46	43 – 87
Marked	sensitivity			27		41	17					17 – 41
hypoechogenicity	specificity			94		92	100					92 – 100
Blurred margins	sensitivity		78		53		41					41 – 78
	specificity		85		81		89					81 – 89
Irregular margins	sensitivity			55		48	26	25		52		25 – 55
	specificity			83		92	99	99		81		81 – 99
Intranodular vascularization	sensitivity	67	74		62		41	37		52	48	37 – 74
	specificity	49	81		50		89	88		73	57	49 – 89
Taller than wide	sensitivity			33	76	40	22	14				14 – 76
	specificity			93	60	91	97	99				60 – 99
High stiffness	sensitivity						74	81	82 – 100	48 – 76	63 – 75	48 – 100
	specificity						91	62	78 – 100	72 – 92	82 – 88	62 – 100

Values represent n unless otherwise indicated. R = Retrospective; P = prospective.