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Analysis of the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound with CT imaging in the assessment of preoperative cervical lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer
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T. Yu   , L. Liu , Z. Wang , R. Li , M. Zhang , C. Liu |
| Department of Ultrasonography, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China , littlefish.love@163.com |
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Abstract: (607 Views) |
Background: Cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) significantly influences the prognostic outcomes of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and accurate preoperative evaluation is essential. The aim of study was to evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing CLNM. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 120 PTC patients, categorizing them into metastatic (n=56) and non-metastatic (n=64) groups based on pathological confirmation of CLNM. The imaging characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of CEUS, CT, and their combination were estimate. P<0.05 indicates a significant difference. Results: Metastatic group exhibited significantly higher rates of CT features (granular calcification, cystic necrosis within lymph nodes, enhancement of lymph node margins, indistinct borders between lymph nodes and surrounding tissues, irregular lymph node morphology, lymph node length ≥5 mm) and CEUS features (hyper enhancement, centripetal perfusion, circumferential enhancement) than non-metastatic group (P<0.05). Metastatic lymph nodes also showed significantly higher marginal zone peak intensity (PI) (9.35±2.29 vs 5.54±2.15) and area under curve (AUC) (243.7±41.83 vs 164.2±34.86) (P<0.001). The lymph node detection rate of the combined diagnosis (95.31%) was significantly higher than that of single CEUS (82.81%) or CT (71.88%) (P<0.05). In addition, combined diagnosis was associated with higher sensitivity (90.6% vs. 87.5% vs. 85.9%), specificity (94.6% vs. 83.9% vs. 76.8%), and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.926 vs. 0.857 vs. 0.814) were also superior to single CEUS or CT. Conclusion: The combination of CEUS and CT enhances the preoperative diagnosis of CLNM in PTC. |
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| Keywords: Thyroid cancer, papillary, lymphatic metastasis, tomography, X-ray computed, ultrasonography, diagnostic imaging. |
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Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
Radiation Biology
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Yu T, Liu L, Wang Z, Li R, Zhang M, Liu C. Analysis of the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound with CT imaging in the assessment of preoperative cervical lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer. Int J Radiat Res 2026; 24 (2) :441-447 URL: http://ijrr.com/article-1-7025-en.html
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