Program including abstracts as pdf available here

P 66
Title
REVIEW OF CONVENTIONAL uLTRASOuND
Authors
M. HAJATDOOST SANI 1
Affiliations
1 Guy‘s and St Thomal NHS Foundation Trust, London, UNITED KINGDOM
Body
Aim – The aims of this project were to review the role of conventional ultrasound and fine
needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules and to undertake a small pilot
clinical audit to assess the benefits of ultrasound elastography.
Method – In the pilot audit the data for the 14 patients who have in the past had a conventional
ultrasound, and real time ultrasound elastography examination using two different
ultrasound machines and fine needle aspiration cytology were analysed. The results from
conventional ultrasound and real time ultrasound elastography images were compared with
histopathological analysis.
Results - In total, 17 nodules were examined. Conventional ultrasound examination showed
benign features for 11 nodules, indeterminate risk features for 5 nodules and abnormal
suspicious features of malignancy for 1 nodule. All nodules which were found to be benign
on ultrasound elastography were confirmed to be benign by fine needle aspiration cytology.
One nodule which showed malignant features on ultrasound elastography was confirmed to be
malignant on fine needle aspiration cytology and histology.
Conclusion – Indeterminate nodules presenting on conventional ultrasound may not generally
show any clear evidence that they are benign or malignant. Ultrasound elastography appears
to offer an additional non-invasive tool to increase diagnostic confidence in this group.
Perhaps in the future ultrasound elastography can be used to prevent unnecessary surgery by
increasing diagnostic confidence, thereby reducing patient exposure to general anaesthetics
and associated risks. It may also offer a more cost effective option to aid diagnosis.
Keywords
ultrasound,elastography,thyroid nodules
POSTerS
181