Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging for the distinction between benign and malignant thyroid nodules

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate thyroid nodules using virtual touch quantification (VTQ) of force impulse acoustic radiation (ARFI) imaging and to investigate a cutoff value for the differentiation of malignant thyroid nodules. Materials and methods: Ninety-five patients with quantitatively-assessed (VTQ) thyroid nodules were evaluated with ARFI imaging in this prospective study. ARFI imaging with VTQ was performed only on the nodules which were expected to undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). All of the thyroid lesions were examined histopathologically. Results: The mean shear wave velocity (SWV) value of the malignant nodules (3.18 ± 0.39 m/s) was higher than that of the benign nodules (2.11 ± 0.53 m/s). There was a statistically significant difference between the mean SWV values of benign and malignant nodules (p < 0.001). A SWV cutoff value of greater than 2.66 m/s yielded sensitivity and specificity values of 100 and 82.3 %, respectively, for diagnosis of malignant nodules. Conclusion: VTQ of ARFI imaging has high sensitivity and specificity for discriminating between benign and malignant thyroid nodules and may positively contribute to clinical evaluation of these nodules.