Eimantas Dumskis¹

¹Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University

Abstract

Thyroid nodules are a common clinical problem. Palpable nodules are found in about 5 % of the population, however, accidentally noticed during a routine ultrasound check in about 67 % of all people. Whenever nodules are found in the thyroid, they are being tracked with ultrasound within time and when there is a suspicion of possible malignance – a fine-needle aspiration biopsy is performed. Although aspiration biopsy for thyroid nodules is being held as a gold standard, there is always room and a possibility for error and complications. Ultrasound elastography provides elastography and viscosity measurements of tissue and nodules which can be helpful to decide the possibility of malignance. Elastography measurements, being non-invasive, has its drawbacks and they should always be considered individually depending on the region or nodule being measured. The purpose of this literature review is to scope the newest literature about the diagnostics of thyroid nodules, risk evaluation of their malignancy when ultrasound elastography is being used.

Keywords: thyroid nodules, ultrasound, elastography.