Table 2. Comparison of qualitative characteristics obtained from the conventional 2D US and CEUS between benign versus malignant thyroid nodules.

Characteristics and classification	Benignity	Malignancy	P value
Composition
Solid or Almost solid	106	80	0.049b
Mixed cystic and solid	9	1
Echogenicity
Hypo-echoic or very hypo-echoic	90	79	2.68 × 10−4b
Iso/Mix-echoic	25	2
Margin
Irregular or Extra-thyroidal extension	19	43	1.41 × 10−7a
Regular	96	38
Shape (A/T)
>1	14	42	3.76 × 10−9a
<1	101	39
Calcification
Micro-calcification	4	28	2.11 × 10−8a
Absence or Macro-/Peripheral calcification	111	53
TI-RADS
RT3	13	6	0.316b
RT4	93	64
(4,5, and 6 points)	(43, 32, 18)	(2, 8, 54)
RT5	9	11
CEUS
Heterogeneous hypo-enhance	6	71	1.52 × 10−30a
Homogeneous iso/hyper-enhance	109	10

Notes:

^aChi-square test.

^bFisher exact test.

2D US, two dimensional ultrasound; CEUS, contrast enhance ultrasound; A/T, anteroposterior/transverse diameter; ACR TI-RADS, American college radiologist thyroid imaging report and data system.