What is Thyroid Tissue Elastography?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Le Hong Chien - Doctor of Radiology - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

1. What is Thyroid Tissue Elastography?

Ultrasound is the use of ultrasound waves with a frequency of 1-10MHZ to examine different areas of the body, when the ultrasound waves pass through the organ tissue in the body, it will record images to the processor. Through these images to assess the pathological condition in organs in the body. This is a simple, easy-to-use method applied in diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Tissue elastography is a new application of diagnostic ultrasound to investigate the elastic properties of tissues in the body. This method helps to evaluate mass lesions through ultrasound B.
Working principle of tissue elastography: Normally, it is difficult to measure tissue elasticity directly, but tissue will When deformed when pressed, the stiffness ratio of the damaged tissue will be inversely proportional to the degree of deformation, that is, the harder it is, the less deformation it will have. Normal tissue will deform much with compression, while pathological tissue is usually stiffer, will deform less. Tissue contrast measurements on the elastography are due to differences in tissue stiffness, which has been coded in different colors. Tissue elastography is applied in different tissues of the body such as liver, breast, thyroid...
Thyroid elastography is a method used in early diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Pathological tissues can have the same negative response, but have different stiffness, the more malignant the tissue, the more stiffness increases. Normally, when thyroid ultrasound reveals lesions with similar tissue feedback, it is often difficult to determine the extent of malignancy, when it is necessary to combine with pulse doppler and tissue elasticity ultrasound to help support these findings. information to increase diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, the application of elastography helps to assess the stiffness of the damaged tissue, thereby providing more information about the nature of that tissue.

2. Indications of thyroid tissue elastography

The method of ultrasound elastography of thyroid tissue is indicated for the following subjects:
There are mass lesions in the thyroid gland such as: Thyroid nodules ... When evaluated on ultrasound, it is often found that the lesions are dangerous. Thyroid cancer muscle (TIRAD 3 or higher) Elastography has no absolute contraindications.

3. Advantages of thyroid tissue elastography method

Thyroid elastography is considered as an important turning point in diagnostic ultrasound, allowing to evaluate the stiffness of thyroid tissue. From there, there are advantages such as:
Improves the specificity of thyroid cancer diagnosis, helps to narrow the indications for biopsy without still missing the lesion and pinpoints the exact location of the thyroid nodule biopsies. Ultrasonic elastography has high accuracy, is easy to perform, and is less dependent on the operator. Reduce the rate of having to aspirate cells for biopsy, reduce patient discomfort. A reliable reference standard to help consider performing tumor cell aspiration and choosing the optimal site for cell collection.

4. Steps to conduct ultrasound elastography of thyroid tissue

Preparation:
Performer: Doctor and specialist radiologist. Equipment: Ultrasound machine, image acquisition system. Patients: Be thoroughly explained about the method and implementation for the best coordination. Eliminate neck applications that interfere with the examination process. Steps to take:
Step 1: The patient lies supine, supine. Step 2: The doctor conducts ultrasound to evaluate the thyroid gland and surrounding areas. Step 3: After the ultrasound identifies the lesion, the patient holds his breath and does not swallow. The doctor places the transducer perpendicular to the skin surface, the cross section is longitudinal, then presses the transducer with light force, then stops pressing. Repeat the pressing several times and record the sequence. Step 4: From the recorded image sequences, select the most optimal image, then analyze. Step 5: Evaluate the results, the results are analyzed by the machine and give the measured hardness value, the unit is kPa. From the index kPa makes a diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

Because of its outstanding advantages, elastography of thyroid tissue is considered an important step forward in diagnostic ultrasound. Thereby allowing to evaluate the stiffness of the tissue thereby allowing the assessment of the properties of the damaged tissue. Thyroid elastic ultrasound is an easy method to perform, but to be most accurate, it is advisable to choose reputable addresses, experienced operators and standard machinery systems.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has a package of screening and screening for thyroid diseases. When choosing the Package of Screening and Screening for Thyroid Diseases at Vinmec, you will be examined by experienced thyroid specialists to help screen and detect common thyroid diseases early. variables such as: simple goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer,...
At the same time, you will have blood tests, evaluate levels of functional hormones thyroid such as FT3, FT4, TSH, Anti - TPO, Anti TG and ultrasound, scan to evaluate the structure of the thyroid gland. After that, when the results are returned to the doctor, you will be consulted about thyroid pathology, and discuss the appropriate treatment options for yourself. From there, thyroid disease will be prevented in time, avoiding long-term health damage in the future.

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