Ultrasonographic characteristics of Hürthle cell neoplasms: prediction of malignancy

Abstract

Purpose This study investigated the ultrasound (US) features of malignancy in patients with Hürthle cell neoplasms (HCNs) of the thyroid gland. Methods The present study included 139 HCNs that had undergone surgical excision at a single institution from 1996 to 2020 and had preoperative US images. The sonographic characteristics of HCNs were correlated with their pathological results. The US findings associated with malignancy were explored using logistic regression analysis, and the diagnostic performance and cutoff were assessed using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results The most common US findings of HCNs were a solid content (76.3%), oval to round shape (100%), hypoechogenicity (70.5%), a smooth margin (95.0%), the halo sign (90.6%), and no calcifications (93.5%). HCNs were commonly smaller in pathologic measurements than in US measurements (smaller, same, and greater than US measurements in 60.4%, 21.6%, and 18.0% of HCNs, respectively; P3.35 cm might be used as a criterion to suggest malignancy. The size of HCNs often showed discrepancies between US and pathologic measurements.

Keywords

• ultrasonography
• thyroid neoplasm
• thyroid cancer