NCT06146764

Brief Summary

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can sensitively show the blood perfusion characteristics of thyroid nodules, which is a useful supplement to gray-scale ultrasound. However, there is no standard combined diagnostic method of gray-scale ultrasound and CEUS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of the integrated scoring method and the up-and-down scoring method. This study was a multicenter retrospective clinical study and followed the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (version 2015). Inclusion criteria: 1) participants with at least one thyroid nodule larger than 5 mm confirmed by conventional ultrasound; 2) participants underwent gray-scale ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid nodule successively; 3) participants have a final diagnosis of benign or malignant. Exclusion criteria included: 1) participants with cytologic findings of Bethesda I, III, or IV without definitive benign or malignant pathologic findings; 2) participants with a history of thyroid fine needle aspiration, ablation or surgery; 3) participants with low quality ultrasound images (e.g., severe artifacts or low image resolution). According to the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System, only one thyroid nodule with the highest point was included in each participant. A total of 600 participants from January 2018 to December 2022 were consecutively included in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University to form a training set (average age 48 years; Range 24-81 years old). A total of 200 subjects with thyroid nodules from January 2022 to December 2022 were consecutively included to form an external validation set in Houjie Hospital of Dongguan City, Guangdong Province (mean age 46 years; Range 30-74 years). The malignant risk of enrolled thyroid nodules and the necessity of biopsy were evaluated by integrated scoring method and up-and-down scoring method, respectively. The diagnostic performance and unnecessary biopsy rate of the above two methods were calculated and compared.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
800

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for all trials

Timeline
3mo left

Started Mar 2023

Typical duration for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress93%
Mar 2023Jul 2026

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 18, 2023

Completed
8 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 18, 2023

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

November 27, 2023

Completed
2.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2026

Expected
1 month until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 31, 2026

Last Updated

March 23, 2026

Status Verified

March 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

3.3 years

First QC Date

November 18, 2023

Last Update Submit

March 18, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

Thyroid NoduleContrast MediaGray-scale UltrasoundDiagnosisBiopsy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Diagnostic performance

    Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, area under the curve

    First week after primary completion date

  • Unnecessary biopsy rate

    The unnecessary biopsy rate was defined as a percentage of the number of benign nodules among biopsy-indicated nodules in the total nodules.

    First week after primary completion date

Interventions

Integrated scoring method and up-and-down scoring method

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

We included patients at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (the internal validation set) and Houjie Hospital of Dongguan(the external validation set) at the same eligibility criteria described above from January 2021 to December 2022.

You may qualify if:

  • Participants with thyroid nodules with a solid component ≥5 mm confirmed by conventional ultrasound;
  • Participants who underwent conventional ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy;
  • Participants with a final benign or malignant pathological results.

You may not qualify if:

  • Participants with cytopathology of Bethesda I, III, or IV and without final benign or malignant pathology;
  • Participants with a history of thyroid ablation or surgery;
  • Participants with low-quality ultrasound images.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University

Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510289, China

RECRUITING

Related Publications (16)

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    PMID: 33538338BACKGROUND
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    PMID: 35271818BACKGROUND
  • Haugen BR, Alexander EK, Bible KC, Doherty GM, Mandel SJ, Nikiforov YE, Pacini F, Randolph GW, Sawka AM, Schlumberger M, Schuff KG, Sherman SI, Sosa JA, Steward DL, Tuttle RM, Wartofsky L. 2015 American Thyroid Association Management Guidelines for Adult Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: The American Thyroid Association Guidelines Task Force on Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Thyroid. 2016 Jan;26(1):1-133. doi: 10.1089/thy.2015.0020.

    PMID: 26462967BACKGROUND
  • Zhou J, Yin L, Wei X, Zhang S, Song Y, Luo B, Li J, Qian L, Cui L, Chen W, Wen C, Peng Y, Chen Q, Lu M, Chen M, Wu R, Zhou W, Xue E, Li Y, Yang L, Mi C, Zhang R, Wu G, Du G, Huang D, Zhan W; Superficial Organ and Vascular Ultrasound Group of the Society of Ultrasound in Medicine of the Chinese Medical Association; Chinese Artificial Intelligence Alliance for Thyroid and Breast Ultrasound. 2020 Chinese guidelines for ultrasound malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules: the C-TIRADS. Endocrine. 2020 Nov;70(2):256-279. doi: 10.1007/s12020-020-02441-y. Epub 2020 Aug 21.

    PMID: 32827126BACKGROUND
  • Tessler FN, Middleton WD, Grant EG, Hoang JK, Berland LL, Teefey SA, Cronan JJ, Beland MD, Desser TS, Frates MC, Hammers LW, Hamper UM, Langer JE, Reading CC, Scoutt LM, Stavros AT. ACR Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS): White Paper of the ACR TI-RADS Committee. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017 May;14(5):587-595. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2017.01.046. Epub 2017 Apr 2.

    PMID: 28372962BACKGROUND
  • Russ G, Bonnema SJ, Erdogan MF, Durante C, Ngu R, Leenhardt L. European Thyroid Association Guidelines for Ultrasound Malignancy Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules in Adults: The EU-TIRADS. Eur Thyroid J. 2017 Sep;6(5):225-237. doi: 10.1159/000478927. Epub 2017 Aug 8.

    PMID: 29167761BACKGROUND
  • Shin JH, Baek JH, Chung J, Ha EJ, Kim JH, Lee YH, Lim HK, Moon WJ, Na DG, Park JS, Choi YJ, Hahn SY, Jeon SJ, Jung SL, Kim DW, Kim EK, Kwak JY, Lee CY, Lee HJ, Lee JH, Lee JH, Lee KH, Park SW, Sung JY; Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) and Korean Society of Radiology. Ultrasonography Diagnosis and Imaging-Based Management of Thyroid Nodules: Revised Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology Consensus Statement and Recommendations. Korean J Radiol. 2016 May-Jun;17(3):370-95. doi: 10.3348/kjr.2016.17.3.370. Epub 2016 Apr 14.

    PMID: 27134526BACKGROUND
  • Gharib H, Papini E, Garber JR, Duick DS, Harrell RM, Hegedus L, Paschke R, Valcavi R, Vitti P; AACE/ACE/AME Task Force on Thyroid Nodules. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY, AND ASSOCIAZIONE MEDICI ENDOCRINOLOGI MEDICAL GUIDELINES FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF THYROID NODULES--2016 UPDATE. Endocr Pract. 2016 May;22(5):622-39. doi: 10.4158/EP161208.GL.

    PMID: 27167915BACKGROUND
  • Perros P, Boelaert K, Colley S, Evans C, Evans RM, Gerrard Ba G, Gilbert J, Harrison B, Johnson SJ, Giles TE, Moss L, Lewington V, Newbold K, Taylor J, Thakker RV, Watkinson J, Williams GR; British Thyroid Association. Guidelines for the management of thyroid cancer. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2014 Jul;81 Suppl 1:1-122. doi: 10.1111/cen.12515. No abstract available.

    PMID: 24989897BACKGROUND
  • Wemeau JL, Sadoul JL, d'Herbomez M, Monpeyssen H, Tramalloni J, Leteurtre E, Borson-Chazot F, Caron P, Carnaille B, Leger J, Do C, Klein M, Raingeard I, Desailloud R, Leenhardt L. Guidelines of the French society of endocrinology for the management of thyroid nodules. Ann Endocrinol (Paris). 2011 Sep;72(4):251-281. doi: 10.1016/j.ando.2011.05.003. Epub 2011 Jul 22.

    PMID: 21782154BACKGROUND
  • Frates MC, Benson CB, Charboneau JW, Cibas ES, Clark OH, Coleman BG, Cronan JJ, Doubilet PM, Evans DB, Goellner JR, Hay ID, Hertzberg BS, Intenzo CM, Jeffrey RB, Langer JE, Larsen PR, Mandel SJ, Middleton WD, Reading CC, Sherman SI, Tessler FN; Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound. Management of thyroid nodules detected at US: Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound consensus conference statement. Radiology. 2005 Dec;237(3):794-800. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2373050220.

    PMID: 16304103BACKGROUND
  • Middleton WD, Teefey SA, Reading CC, Langer JE, Beland MD, Szabunio MM, Desser TS. Comparison of Performance Characteristics of American College of Radiology TI-RADS, Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology TIRADS, and American Thyroid Association Guidelines. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2018 May;210(5):1148-1154. doi: 10.2214/AJR.17.18822. Epub 2018 Apr 9.

    PMID: 29629797BACKGROUND
  • Hoang JK, Middleton WD, Farjat AE, Langer JE, Reading CC, Teefey SA, Abinanti N, Boschini FJ, Bronner AJ, Dahiya N, Hertzberg BS, Newman JR, Scanga D, Vogler RC, Tessler FN. Reduction in Thyroid Nodule Biopsies and Improved Accuracy with American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System. Radiology. 2018 Apr;287(1):185-193. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2018172572. Epub 2018 Mar 2.

    PMID: 29498593BACKGROUND
  • Radzina M, Ratniece M, Putrins DS, Saule L, Cantisani V. Performance of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Thyroid Nodules: Review of Current State and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Oct 30;13(21):5469. doi: 10.3390/cancers13215469.

    PMID: 34771632BACKGROUND
  • Ruan J, Xu X, Cai Y, Zeng H, Luo M, Zhang W, Liu R, Lin P, Xu Y, Ye Q, Ou B, Luo B. A Practical CEUS Thyroid Reporting System for Thyroid Nodules. Radiology. 2022 Oct;305(1):149-159. doi: 10.1148/radiol.212319. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

    PMID: 35699576BACKGROUND
  • Zhang Y, Zhou P, Tian SM, Zhao YF, Li JL, Li L. Usefulness of combined use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and TI-RADS classification for the differentiation of benign from malignant lesions of thyroid nodules. Eur Radiol. 2017 Apr;27(4):1527-1536. doi: 10.1007/s00330-016-4508-y. Epub 2016 Aug 15.

    PMID: 27525973BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Thyroid NoduleThyroid NeoplasmsDisease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Endocrine Gland NeoplasmsNeoplasms by SiteNeoplasmsHead and Neck NeoplasmsEndocrine System DiseasesThyroid DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

  • Jingliang Ruan, Ph.D.

    Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Baoming Luo, Professor

    Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Jingliang Ruan, Ph.D.

CONTACT

Xiaming Ye, Master

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
RETROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 18, 2023

First Posted

November 27, 2023

Study Start

March 18, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2026

Last Updated

March 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the principal investigator by request.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
The first week after the publication of the research papers.
Access Criteria
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the principal investigator by request.

Locations