• Yun Joo Park, Jeong-Ah Kim, Eun Ju Son, Ji Hyun Youk, and Cheong Soo Park.
• Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
• Ann. Surg. Oncol. 2013 Aug 1; 20 (8): 2765-71.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the quantitative elasticity index of shear wave elastography (SWE) can predict extrathyroidal extension (ETE) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) preoperatively.MethodsA total of 208 patients with pathology confirmed PTC whom underwent SWE during preoperative staging US between April 2011 to June 2012 were included.SWE indices of E mean, E max, E min of the index malignancy, the ratios between E mean of the lesion and parenchyma (E ratio-P), and muscle (E ratio-M), and grayscale US findings, including ETE, multifocality, bilaterality, and central and lateral lymph node (LN) metastasis were evaluated. The correlations of SWE indices and grayscale US findings with pathologic prognostic factors of PTC were analyzed by Chi square or Fisher's exact test, and multivariate regression analysis.ResultsETE was associated with E mean, E max, E min, and E ratio-M (P = 0.005, 0.009, 0.016 and <0.001, respectively), multifocality was associated with E mean, E max, and E min (P = 0.028, 0.007, and 0.004, respectively), and central LN metastasis was associated with E ratio-M (P = 0.03). On multivariate analysis, E mean and E min were independent factors for predicting ETE (P = 0.032, 0.049, respectively).ConclusionsQuantitative elasticity index of SWE could predict pathologic ETE, and SWE could be a complimentary method to grayscale US for preoperative prediction of prognostic factors of PTC.

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