Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sonography can diagnose medullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC) as a malignant lesion using widely accepted sonographic criteria and to compare findings for papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).
Materials and Methods: The study included 135 cases of MTC that were surgically diagnosed between 2000 and 2013 and 163 cases of PTC that were diagnosed in 2013. The US findings were classified as recommended by the Thyroid Study Group of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology(KSThR), and each nodulewas identified as suspicious malignant, indeterminate or probably benign. The findings of medullary and papillary carcinomas were compared with use of the chi-squared test.
Results: The common US findings for MTCs were solid internal content(123, 91.1%), an ovoid to round shape(104, 77.0%), hypoechogenicity(76, 56.3%), smooth(65, 48.1%) and calcifications(58, 43.0%). Among the 135cases of MTC nodules, 86 (63.7%) were classified as suspicious malignant nodules. The mean size of MTC nodules was 20.4 ± 15.9 mm and the mean size of PTC nodules was 11.0 ±9.0 mm(p < 0.05). An ovoid to round shape, and smooth margin were more prevalent for MTC lesions than for PTC lesions(p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Calcifications were less common for MTC lesions than for PTC lesions(p =0.002)
Conclusion: This study is published in the current study to the most number of medullary cancer was conducted. The US criteria for suspicious malignant nodules as recommended by the KSThR correspond to 63.7% of MTC cases. The US findings for MTC are different from PTC in size, shape, margin, and calcification. So, I think that recommend to consider before preoperative diagnosis.
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