Table 2.
Basic demographic characteristics and conventional US features in diagnosing all thyroid nodules according to malignant and benignity.
| Parameter | All nodules (n = 453) | Malignant (n = 255) | Benign (n = 198) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient | ||||
| Mean age (y)* | … | 48.3 ± 13.9 (10–82) | 54.9 ± 11.6 (23–75) | <0.001 |
| Sex | 0.527 | |||
| Female | 363 | 207 (57.0) | 156 (43.0) | |
| Male | 90 | 48 (53.3) | 42 (46.7) | |
| Nodule | ||||
| Mean size (mm)* | … | 10.2 ± 5.8 (5.0–36.0) | 13.4 ± 8.4 (5.0–42.0) | <0.001 |
| Composition | <0.001 | |||
| Cystic portion > 50% | 6 | 0 (0) | 6 (100) | |
| Cystic portion ≤ 50% | 71 | 17 (23.9) | 54 (76.1) | |
| Solid | 376 | 238 (63.3) | 138 (36.7) | |
| Echogenicity | <0.001 | |||
| Hyperechogenicity | 6 | 1 (16.7) | 5 (83.3) | |
| Isoechogenicity | 95 | 11 (11.6) | 84 (88.4) | |
| Hypoechogenicity | 270 | 168 (62.2) | 102 (37.8) | |
| Marked hypoechogenicity | 82 | 75 (91.5) | 7 (8.5) | |
| Margin | <0.001 | |||
| Well circumscribed | 300 | 125 (41.7) | 175 (58.3) | |
| Poorly circumscribed | 153 | 130 (85.0) | 23 (15.0) | |
| Calcifications | <0.001 | |||
| No calcifications | 211 | 78 (37.0) | 133 (63.0) | |
| Macrocalcifications | 46 | 10 (21.7) | 36 (78.3) | |
| Microcalcifications | 196 | 167 (85.2) | 29 (14.8) | |
| Shape | <0.001 | |||
| Wider than tall | 251 | 68 (27.1) | 183 (72.9) | |
| Taller than wide | 202 | 187 (92.6) | 15 (7.4) | |
| Halo sign | <0.001 | |||
| Present | 86 | 16 (18.6) | 70 (81.4) | |
| Absent | 367 | 239 (65.1) | 128 (34.9) | |
| Vascularity | <0.001 | |||
| None | 131 | 85 (64.9) | 46 (35.1) | |
| Type II | 188 | 82 (43.6) | 106 (56.4) | |
| Type III | 134 | 88 (65.7) | 46 (34.3) | |
*Indicates means ± standard deviations. Data are ranges, otherwise are percentages in the parentheses.
Type II = predominant pattern of peripheral blood flow; Type III = predominant pattern of internal blood flow.