Table 1.
Characteristics of Studies Included in Meta-Analysis
| Author (reference) | Year | Number of nodules | Male sex (%) | Age (mean) | Clinical background | US features evaluated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker J (65) | 1985 | 94 | 14.8 | All patients submitted to surgery | Solid | |
| Aggarwal S (17) | 1989 | 36 | Patients with cold nodules | Solid | ||
| Cox M (29) | 1991 | 68 | 10 | 48.6 | Patients submitted to surgery with no compressive symptoms or obvious malignancy | Solitary, solid |
| Hübsch V (36) | 1992 | 65 | 30 | 42 | Patients with cold nodules, compressive symptoms, hyperthyroidism, or malignancy suspected or confirmed | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, solitary, solid, heterogeneity, and irregular margins |
| Brkljacic B (21) | 1994 | 426 | 13.3 | 46.5 | Patients with multinodular goiter | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications |
| Ousehal A (46) | 1996 | 100 | 39 | Unselected patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, irregular margins | |
| Rago T (55) | 1998 | 104 | 33 | 42.3 | Patients with single nodule with compressive symptoms or suspicion of malignancy | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications |
| Kakkos S (37) | 2000 | 188 | All patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications | ||
| Bozbora A (20) | 2002 | 81 | 25 | 33 | Patients with cold solitary or dominant nodule | Solitary |
| Giammanco M (33) | 2002 | 125 | 21.6 | 57 | All patients submitted to surgery | Central vascularization |
| Khoo M (38) | 2002 | 361 | Consecutive patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications | ||
| Kountakis S (40) | 2002 | 83 | All patients submitted to surgery | Solitary | ||
| Leenhardt L (41) | 2002 | 155 | 25.1 | Patients submitted to surgery with no hormonal dysfunction | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, solid, irregular margins | |
| Peccin S (47) | 2002 | 80 | 20 | 45.3 | Patients with compressive symptoms or suspicion of malignancy | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications |
| Casella C (25) | 2003 | 66 | 15.1 | 44.6 | Patients submitted to surgery | Central vascularization |
| Alexopoulou O (18) | 2004 | 109 | Patients with nontoxic multinodular goiter | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications | ||
| Fukunari N (31) | 2004 | 310 | 14.19 | 47 | Patients with cold solitary nodules | Central vascularization |
| Penfold A (48) | 2004 | 83 | 13.2 | Patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, central vascularization, irregular margins | |
| Seiberling K (59) | 2004 | 159 | 23.2 | 46 | Patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications |
| Kobayashi K (39) | 2005 | 910 | 49 | Patients submitted to surgery with diagnosis of follicular nodule | Solitary, solid, irregular margins | |
| Nicola H (30) | 2005 | 86 | Patients with follicular neoplasms on FNA | Central vascularization | ||
| Popowicz B (51) | 2006 | 356 | Patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications, solitary | ||
| Sahin M (56) | 2006 | 472 | 17.8 | 51.5 | Patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, solid, heterogeneity, irregular margins |
| Wang N (66) | 2006 | 322 | 18.4 | 44 | Patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications |
| Cappelli C (24) | 2006 | 349 | Nodules with malignant or suspicious cytology | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, irregular margins | ||
| Rago T (52) | 2007 | 505 | 21.18 | 45 | Cold nodules with cytological diagnosis of follicular or Hürthle cell lesion | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, irregular margins |
| Rago T (53) | 2007 | 92 | 31.52 | 41.6 | Patients submitted to surgery for compressive symptoms or FNA suspicious | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, central vascularization, elasticity |
| Sharma R (60) | 2007 | 52 | 26.9 | Patients with cold solitary nodules | Central vascularization | |
| Sippel R (63) | 2007 | 325 | 18.5 | 47 | Patient with FNA diagnosis of follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm or indeterminate | Hypochogenicity, central vascularization, solid, heterogeneity |
| Varverakis E (64) | 2007 | 85 | 20 | Patients submitted to surgery due to risk of malignancy or compressive symptoms | Central vascularization | |
| Bakhshaee M (19) | 2008 | 85 | 13 | 36.88 | Patients submitted to surgery due to FNA diagnosis or obstructive or cosmetic reasons | Central vascularization, solid |
| Choi Y (28) | 2008 | 175 | Patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, taller than wide shape, solid, irregular margins | ||
| Gulcelik N (34) | 2008 | 98 | 16.32 | 46.7 | Patients with cytology reporting follicular neoplasm | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, solitary, solid |
| Salmaslioglu A (57) | 2008 | 1926 | 19 | 46.9 | Patients with multinodular goiter submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, solid, irregular margins |
| Chen G (27) | 2009 | 758 | 23 | Patients submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications | |
| Hong Y (35) | 2009 | 145 | 17.7 | 46 | Consecutive patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, elasticity, taller than wide shape, irregular margins |
| Liu F (43) | 2009 | 40 | 7.5 | 43.7 | Patients with lymphocytic thyroiditis and nodules FNA malignant or indeterminate | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, irregular margins |
| Mendelson A (45) | 2009 | 77 | 16.8 | FNA reporting follicular, Hürthle cell or nondiagnostic | Microcalcifications, solid | |
| Phuttharak W (49) | 2009 | 31 | 3.3 | 41.8 | Patients with risk of malignancy after US and FNA | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, taller than wide shape |
| Popowicz B (50) | 2009 | 1141 | 49.5 | Patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, solitary, taller than wide shape | |
| Rago T (54) | 2010 | 195 | 26.1 | 44 | Patients with indeterminate or nondiagnostic cytology | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, central vascularization, elasticity |
| Schueller-Weidekamm C (58) | 2010 | 31 | 31.42 | 55.2 | Patients with cold nodules | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, irregular margins |
| Sillery J (62) | 2010 | 102 | 35 | 53 | Patients with diagnosis of follicular carcinoma and adenoma | Hypoechogenicity, absence of halo, microcalcifications, central vascularization, heterogeneity |
| Wang Y (67) | 2010 | 51 | 25.5 | 48.6 | Patients with single nodules submitted to surgery | Microcalcifications, central vascularizaion, elasticity, irregular margins |
| Yoon J (68) | 2010 | 99 | 13.13 | 43.71 | Patients with indeterminate cytology | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, solitary, taller than wide shape, solid, irregular margins |
| Cakir B (22) | 2011 | 391 | 17.12 | 46.08 | Patients with compressive symptoms or malignant or suspicious cytology | Elasticity |
| Maia F (44) | 2011 | 143 | 15.4 | 47.2 | Patients submitted to surgery | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, irregular margins |
| Castro M (26) | 2011 | 462 | 53.7 | 31 | Patients with suspicious cytology | Solitary |
| Ghervan (32) | 2011 | 99 | Patients with suspicious nodules | Elasticity | ||
| Lippolis P (42) | 2011 | 102 | 32.3 | 46.5 | Patients with indeterminate cytology | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization, elasticity |
| Shuzhen C (61) | 2011 | 291 | 25 | 43.38 | Patients submitted to surgery | Elasticity |
| Cantisani V (23) | 2012 | 97 | 33 | 54 | Patients submitted to surgery due to compressive symptoms or suspicious nodules | Hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, central vascularization |
US, ultrasound; FNA, fine-needle aspiration.