Patient demographics and distribution of ACR TI-RADS features in benign and malignant thyroid nodules (n = 760)a
| Characteristics | All (n = 760) | Benign Nodules (n = 584) | Malignant Nodules (n = 176) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | .035 | |||
| Women | 587 | 462 (79.4%) | 125 (71.4%) | |
| Men | 170 | 120 (20.6%) | 50 (28.6%) | |
| Age (median) (interquartile range) (yr) | 51 (39–61) | 52 (41–61) | 45 (34–60) | <.001 |
| Nodule size (median) (interquartile range) (mm) | 20 (14–30) | 23 (15–32) | 14 (11–20) | <.001 |
| Nodule features | ||||
| Composition | <.001 | |||
| Cystic or almost completely cystic | 50 | 47 (8.0%) | 3 (1.7%) | |
| Spongiform | 1 | 1 (0.2%) | 0 | |
| Mixed cystic and solid | 234 | 222 (38.0%) | 12 (6.8%) | |
| Solid or almost completely solid | 475 | 314 (53.8%) | 161 (91.5%) | |
| Echogenicity | <.001 | |||
| Anechoic | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hyperechoic or isoechoic | 410 | 387 (66.3%) | 23 (13.1%) | |
| Hypoechoic | 329 | 191 (32.7%) | 138 (78.4%) | |
| Very hypoechoic | 21 | 6 (1.0%) | 15 (8.5%) | |
| Shape | <.001 | |||
| Wider-than-tall | 671 | 554 (94.9%) | 117 (66.5%) | |
| Taller-than-wide | 89 | 30 (5.1%) | 59 (33.5%) | |
| Margin | <.001 | |||
| Smooth | 579 | 535 (91.6%) | 44 (25.0%) | |
| Ill-defined | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lobulated or irregular | 181 | 49 (8.4%) | 132 (75.0%) | |
| Extrathyroidal extension | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Echogenic foci | <.001 | |||
| None or large comet-tail artifacts | 536 | 477 (81.7%) | 59 (33.5%) | |
| Macrocalcifications | 91 | 69 (11.8%) | 22 (12.5%) | |
| Peripheral (rim) calcifications | 10 | 10 (1.7%) | 0 | |
| Punctate echogenic foci | 123 | 28 (4.8%) | 95 (54.0%) |
↵a Data are numbers of nodules, with percentages in parentheses.