Table 3. Comparison of the contrast-enhanced ultrasound features in 103 patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, stratified by BRAF genotype.
| Feature | Mutant BRAF (n=72) | Wild-type BRAF (n=31) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative features | |||
| Degree of enhancement | 0.544 | ||
| Hypoenhancement | 53 (73.61) | 21 (67.74) | |
| Isoenhancement or hyperenhancement | 19 (26.39) | 10 (32.26) | |
| Homogeneity of enhancement | 0.276 | ||
| Homogeneous | 10 (13.89) | 7 (22.58) | |
| Heterogeneous | 62 (86.11) | 24 (77.42) | |
| Completeness of enhancement | 0.999 | ||
| Incomplete | 65 (90.28) | 28 (90.32) | |
| Complete | 7 (9.72) | 3 (9.68) | |
| Pattern of enhancement | 0.255 | ||
| Centripetal | 39 (54.17) | 13 (41.94) | |
| Diffuse or centrifugal enhancement | 33 (45.83) | 18 (58.06) | |
| Quantitative CEUS | |||
| Relative values for the whole tumor | |||
| WiAUC 1 | 0.834 (0.618, 1.017) | 0.872 (0.589, 0.973) | 0.983 |
| RT 1 | 1.064 (0.983, 1.156) | 1.001 (0.934, 1.077) | 0.019 |
| mTTl 1 | 1.165 (0.952, 1.432) | 1.038 (0.802, 1.271) | 0.241 |
| TTP 1 | 1.039 (1.003, 1.088) | 0.982 (0.953, 1.027) | <0.001 |
| WiR 1 | 0.713 (0.537, 0.890) | 0.819 (0.499, 1.017) | 0.206 |
| WiPI 1 | 0.778 (0.578, 0.955) | 0.842 (0.538, 1.032) | 0.429 |
| WoR 1 | 0.669 (0.479, 0.854) | 0.770 (0.469, 1.051) | 0.307 |
| WoAUC 1 | 0.860 (0.634, 1.063) | 0.937 (0.605, 1.181) | 0.610 |
| WiWoAUC 1 | 0.878 (0.642, 1.058) | 0.916 (0.591, 1.102) | 0.677 |
| FT 1 | 1.102 (0.993, 1.240) | 1.058 (0.924, 1.196) | 0.235 |
| Relative values for the area of strongest enhancement | |||
| WiAUC 2 | 1.278 (0.926, 1.807) | 1.203 (1.135, 1.615) | 0.692 |
| RT 2 | 0.987 (0.877, 1.091) | 0.896 (0.762, 1.024) | 0.063 |
| mTTl 2 | 0.857 (0.518, 1.079) | 0.799 (0.589, 1.070) | 0.886 |
| TTP 2 | 1.029 (0.950, 1.131) | 0.978 (0.909, 1.060) | 0.064 |
| WiR 2 | 1.370 (0.946, 2.048) | 1.590 (1.108, 2.081) | 0.350 |
| WiPI 2 | 1.401 (0.966, 1.866) | 1.435 (1.065, 1.725) | 0.555 |
| WoR 2 | 1.445 (0.975, 2.025) | 1.492 (1.215, 2.437) | 0.307 |
| WoAUC 2 | 1.274 (0.786, 1.853) | 1.194 (0.893, 1.632) | 0.880 |
| WiWoAUC 2 | 1.297 (0.843, 1.788) | 1.184 (0.960, 1.626) | 0.897 |
| FT 2 | 0.960 (0.780, 1.115) | 0.844 (0.672, 1.064) | 0.152 |
| Time-related relative variables | |||
| RT 1 | 0.085 | ||
| ≤1 | 20 (27.78) | 14 (45.16) | |
| >1 | 52 (72.22) | 17 (54.84) | |
| RT 2 | 0.112 | ||
| ≤1 | 39 (54.17) | 22 (70.97) | |
| >1 | 33 (45.83) | 9 (29.03) | |
| mTTl 1 | 0.600 | ||
| ≤1 | 24 (33.33) | 12 (38.71) | |
| >1 | 48 (66.67) | 19 (61.29) | |
| mTTl 2 | 0.668 | ||
| ≤1 | 48 (66.67) | 22 (70.97) | |
| 1 | 24 (33.33) | 9 (29.03) | |
| TTP 1 | <0.001 | ||
| ≤1 | 17 (23.61) | 21 (67.74) | |
| >1 | 55 (76.39) | 10 (32.26) | |
| TTP 2 | 0.007 | ||
| ≤1 | 28 (38.89) | 21 (67.74) | |
| >1 | 44 (61.11) | 10 (32.26) | |
| FT 1 | 0.434 | ||
| ≤1 | 20 (27.78) | 11 (35.48) | |
| >1 | 52 (72.22) | 20 (64.52) | |
| FT 2 | 0.369 | ||
| ≤1 | 42 (58.33) | 21 (67.74) | |
| >1 | 30 (41.67) | 10 (32.26) | |
Values are presented as n (%) or median (interquartile range), unless noted otherwise. CEUS, contrast-enhanced ultrasound; WiAUC, wash-in area under the curve; RT, rise time; mTTl, mean transit time local; TTP, time-to-peak; WiR, wash-in rate; WiPI, wash-in perfusion index; WoR, wash-out rate; WoAUC, wash-out area under the curve; WiWoAUC, wash-in and wash-out areas under the curve; FT, fall time.