Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association
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The presence of metastatic lymph nodes is a prognostic indicator for patients with thyroid carcinomas and is an important determinant of clinical decision making. However, evaluating neck lymph nodes requires experience and is labor- and time-intensive. Therefore, the development of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system to identify and differentiate metastatic lymph nodes may be useful. ⋯ We developed a deep learning-based CAD system for the localization and differentiation of metastatic lymph nodes from thyroid cancer on ultrasound. This CAD system is highly sensitive and may be used as a screening tool; however, as it is relatively less specific, the screening results should be validated by experienced physicians.
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Hyperthyroid patients remain at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) after restoring euthyroidism. The impact of the different treatment modalities of hyperthyroidism on future CVD risk remains unclear. The aims of this study were to assess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hyperthyroidism before and after treatment, and to compare the effects of two different treatment modalities: radioactive iodine (RAI) and thyroid surgery. ⋯ Hyperthyroidism increases the risk of CVD-related hospitalization, and the risk is sustained for up to two decades after treatment with RAI or surgery. Hyperthyroid patients treated with RAI remain at a higher CVD risk compared to patients treated with thyroidectomy. Hypothyroidism during follow-up, however, predicts better cardiovascular outcomes.
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Visual interpretation of ultrasound (US) images alone may not be sensitive enough to detect important features of potentially malignant thyroid nodules. The aim of this study was to develop a radiomics score using US imaging to predict the probability for malignancy of thyroid nodules as compared with the Thyroid Imaging, Reporting, and Data System (TI-RADS) scoring criteria proposed by the American College of Radiology (ACR). ⋯ Compared with ACR TI-RADS evaluation by junior radiologists, the radiomics score showed good performance in predicting malignancy of thyroid nodules in our set of histologically verified thyroid nodules from two tertiary hospitals.
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Approximately 15% more patients taking levothyroxine (LT4) report impaired quality of life compared to controls. This could be explained by additional diagnoses independently affecting quality of life and complicating assignment of causation. This study sought to investigate the underpinnings of reduced quality of life in hypothyroid patients and to provide data for discussion at a symposium addressing hypothyroidism. ⋯ A subset of patients with hypothyroidism are not satisfied with their current therapy or their physicians. Higher satisfaction with both treatment and physicians is reported by those patients on DTE. While the study design does not provide a mechanistic explanation for this observation, future studies should investigate whether preference for DTE is related to triiodothyronine levels or other unidentified causes.
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An individual with familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia (FDH) due to a homozygous mutation (c.653G>A, p. R218H) in the human serum albumin (HSA) gene is reported. ⋯ The higher affinity of mutant HSA for T4, together with the large molar excess of HSA relative to thyroid hormones in serum, results in preferential association of T4 with the mutant rather than wild-type HSA in heterozygous individuals. The twofold greater amount of T4 bound to the mutant HSA in the homozygote, relative to heterozygotes, is an adaptive requirement to maintain a normal free T4 concentration.