ROLE OF IMAGING INVESTIGATIONS IN DETECTING THYROID NODULE MALIGNANCY. A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Nodular thyroid pathology is a topical public health problem that is increasingly targeted and discussed by the general population. The prevalence is around 10%, but rates up to 68% are reported in the literature. In Romania, according to statistics from the National Institute of Public Health, the incidence of thyroid diseases has tripled between 2010 and 2016 and is increasing, which can also be explained by improved patient access to specialized medical services and diagnostic tests. High-resolution thyroid ultrasound is considered the screening test of choice for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, which employs the Ti-RADS score to determine the type of nodules and risk of malignancy. Elastography is a recently developed dynamic technique that uses software within ultrasound to provide an estimate of tissue stiffness by measuring the degree of distortion under the application of an external force, such as palpation, in the evaluation of the thyroid during physical examination. These tests used both could improve the accuracy of diagnosis of thyroid nodules.