Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging: A New Tool for the Diagnosis of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Table 1

The basic characteristics and ultrasound features for the 157 patients with 173 thyroid nodules.

Characteristics	Benign	Malignant	𝑃
Patients (𝑛=157)
Sex (Male/Female)	20/51	15/71	0.108
Age (yrs)	54 ± 8 (32–71)	49 ± 11 (22–78)	0.001
Single nodule/multiple nodules	11/60	20/66	0.224
Nodules (𝑛=173)	𝑛=77	𝑛=96
Diameter (mm)	8.2 ± 1.4 (5–10)	7.7 ± 1.5 (5–10)	0.031
Location			0.507
Left lobe	31	39
Right lobe	44	51
Isthmus	2	6
Echogenicity			0.001*
Markedly hypoechoic	20	46
Hyperechoic	1	0
Isoechoic	16	4
Hypoechoic	36	45
Mixed	4	1
Calcifications			0.001*
None	39	34
Microcalification	22	53
Macrocalcification	16	9
Shape			<0.001*
Ovoid to round	55	39
Taller than wide	13	52
Irregular	9	5
Margin			0.176
Well-defined	48	50
Ill-defined	29	46
Halo sign			0.023
Present	7	1
Absent	70	95
Vascularity			<0.001*
Type I	54	79
Type II	14	0
Type III	9	17

Caption: ∗There were significant differences between benign and malignant nodules.
Significant differences were found in age of patients, diameter of nodules, echogenicity of nodules, calcification of nodules, shape of nodules, halo sign (all 𝑃<0.05). Significant differences were found between any two types of vascular patterns (𝑃<0.001). There was no significant difference in gender, solitary nodule or not, location of nodules and margin of nodules between benign and malignant nodules (all 𝑃>0.05).