Table 3. Subgroup analyses of studies employing molecular testing and without employing molecular testing.
| Category | Resection rate | Risk of malignancy | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With molecular testing | Without molecular testing | With molecular testing | Without molecular testing | ||||||||||||
| % | 95% CI | I2 | % | 95% CI | I2 | % | 95% CI | I2 | % | 95% CI | I2 | ||||
| Nondiagnostic | 29.8* | 18.5–44.2* | 41.5* | 10.7* | 7.9–14.4* | 47.2* | 58.6 | 37.7–76.8 | 14.2 | 31.6 | 21.9–43.3 | 0 | |||
| Benign | 4.3 | 0.9–19.2 | 0 | 11.1 | 6.7–17.9 | 0 | 36.4* | 20.7–55.7* | 0* | 11.6* | 8.2–16.2* | 11.6* | |||
| AUS/FLUS | 36.8 | 25.4–49.8 | 0 | 29.5 | 24.1–35.4 | 27.1 | 76.1* | 65.2–84.4* | 30.9* | 47.1* | 38.2–56.2* | 5.4* | |||
| FN/SFN | 65.7 | 49.3–79.1 | 0 | 53.7 | 43.0–64.0 | 0 | 56.4* | 36.7–74.2* | 1.1* | 31.4* | 26.5–36.7* | 16.6* | |||
| SM | 84.7* | 72.1–92.2* | 54.2* | 63.0* | 56.6–68.9* | 39.4* | 96.3* | 92.8–98.2* | 0* | 85.3* | 77.3–90.9* | 0* | |||
| Malignant | 86.0 | 76.3–92.1 | 62.3 | 70.4 | 63.4–76.6 | 55.9 | 99.3 | 97.8–99.8 | 0 | 97.8 | 97.2–98.2 | 84.8 | |||
*, indicate a significant difference between two subgroups of using and not using molecular testing since the 95% confidence intervals do not overlap each other. AUS/FLUS, atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance; FN/SFN, follicular neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm; SM, suspicious of malignancy; CI, confidence interval.