6-THE ROLE OF CONVENTIONAL ULTRASOUND IN THE ASSESSMENT OF THYROID NODULES IN AL-SULAIMANYIA TERRITORY$

Abstract

A palpable thyroid nodule is a common clinical problem; the ultrasonography (US) and fineneedle aspiration biopsy (FNA) are its main diagnostic tools. This article aimed to study thereliability and advantages of ultrasound as a diagnostic aid in predicting malignancy in thyroidnodules and to reduce the number of unnecessary surgery. Two hundreds and thirty threepatients were examined by ultrasound, and then fine needle aspiration cytology underultrasound guidance (US-FNAC) was done for 210 of them. From those 210 patients weobtained the histopathological proof of 58 patients who underwent surgery. We calculated thesensitivity, specificity and accuracy of US-FNAC. There are certain sonographic criteria thatsuggest malignancy these include microcalcification, irregular margins, and hypoechogenicity ofthe nodule. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US-FNAC were 80%, 96%, and 94%respectively. Although ultrasound can not reliably distinguish benign from malignant nodules,but it can identify suspected nodules based on certain sono-graphic criteria.