Eur J Endocrinol
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

DOI: 10.1530/EJE-07-0891
European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 159, Issue 4, 447-451
Copyright © 2008 by European Society of Endocrinology
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
This Article
IMMEDIATE FREE ACCESS ARTICLE
Right arrow OA Free Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrowOA All Versions of this Article:
EJE-07-0891v1
159/4/447    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brunese, L.
Right arrow Articles by Sodano, A.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brunese, L.
Right arrow Articles by Sodano, A.
CLINICAL STUDY

Thyroid B-flow twinkling sign: a new feature of papillary cancer

Luca Brunese, Antonio Romeo1, Sergio Iorio2, Giuseppina Napolitano1, Stefano Fucili1, Pio Zeppa3, Gianfranco Vallone1, Gaetano Lombardi4, Antonio Bellastella2, Bernadette Biondi4 and Antonio Sodano1

Department of Health Science, Chair of Radiology, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy1 Department of Radiology, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, Policlinico Universitario Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy2 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Surgery ‘F. Magrassi’, A. Lanzara’, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy3 , Department of Anatomic Pathology and Cytopathology4 Departments of Molecular and Clinical Endocrinology and Oncology, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy

(Correspondence should be addressed to A Sodano; Email: ansodano{at}unina.it)

Background: Microcalcifications (aggregated with psammoma bodies), detected by ultrasound (US), are the most specific feature of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Using B-flow imaging (BFI), we identified a new sign (the twinkling sign; BFI-TS) in ‘suspect’ PTC nodules, which appeared to be generated by microcalcifications.

Objective: To evaluate whether the BFI-TS was predictive of malignancy, we correlated the BFI-TS with the results of fine needle aspiration cytology and histology.

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study from September 2006 to April 2008.

Setting: Department of Radiology and Endocrinology, University of Naples Federico II, and Department of Endocrinology, Second University of Naples.

Patients: A total of 306 consecutive patients with 539 thyroid nodules >8 mm in diameter.

Main outcome measure: US and BFI examinations were performed with the Logiq 9 system (General Electric Company, Milan, Italy); all patients underwent cytological examination.

Results: Cytology revealed 455 (84.4%) benign nodules and 84 (15.6%) malignant nodules; the latter were confirmed by postsurgical histological examination (76 cases of PTC, 7 follicular carcinoma, and 1 Hürthle cell carcinoma). All suspect nodules, namely, nodules with potential predictors of thyroid malignancy (e.g., microcalcifications and intra-nodal vascularity), were analyzed by cytology or histology (or both). Of 84, 68 (80.9%) of malignant nodules had ≥4 or more BFI-TSs in at least one scan versus only 12 of 455 (2.6%) of benign lesions.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the BFI-TS could be a reliable diagnostic technique in the management of suspect thyroid nodules.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 European Society of Endocrinology.