Use of the TI-RADS scoring system in the evaluation of thyroid nodules

Abstract

Aim: Thyroid ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration is known to be a cost-effective, safe diagnostic method for evaluating thyroid nodules but it is an invasive procedure. Various sonographic criteria have been proposed to estimate the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules. TI-RADS (Thyroid Image Reporting and Data System) is one of these scoring systems. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the reliability and applicability of the TI-RADS system in our operated patients with definite TI-RADS results. Material and Method: A total of 134 patients who underwent surgery for nodular or multinodular goiter diagnosis between September 2005 and June 2018 in the Medical Park Hospital and Fatsa State Hospital endocrinology clinic and general surgery clinic were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, preoperative thyroid ultrasonographic findings and postoperative pathology results were collected retrospectively. Results: In our study, we found the rate of thyroid cancer as 0% in cases with TI-RADS score 2-3, the rate of cancer as 61.5% (12 papillary thyroid cancer and 4 follicular thyroid cancer in total 16 thyroid cancer n: 16) in cases with TI-RADS score 4 and the rate of cancer 88.2% (papillary thyroid cancer n: 24, medullary thyroid cancer n: 2, follicular thyroid cancer n: 2, indeterminate thyroid cancer n: 2) in cases with TI-RADS score 5. Discussion: Many studies have shown that this thyroid ultrasonography function is not only a risk classification, but also an effective treatment for patients. In our study, we clearly demonstrated that the use of the TI-RADS scoring system in thyroid nodules assessed by experienced individuals prevented the need for unnecessary fine needle aspiration. These findings show that TI-RADS classification provides reliable results in well-categorized thyroid nodules.