Computer-Aided Diagnostic Technique in 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose-Positive Thyroid Nodule: Clinical Experience of 74 Non-thyroid Cancer Patients.

This study verified the value of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) technique assisting in ultrasonography (US) diagnosis of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18FDG)-avid thyroid incidentalomas on positron emission tomography. A total of 82 18FDG-avid thyroid incidentalomas from 74 non-thyroid cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed with respect to US and CAD parameters (anechoic area, hyper-echoic foci, hypo-echogenicity, heterogeneity, margin, taller-than-wide shape, eccentric area) and were compared with 38 other non-18FDG-avid nodules found in the same patient group. Fine-needle aspiration cytology or surgical intervention pathology was performed for diagnosis. No significant differences in nodule size or CAD parameters were found in 18FDG-avid nodules reported as benign, indeterminate or malignant. Significantly more taller-than-wide nodules were thyroid originating than metastatic (0.30 vs. 0.16, p < 0.05). Nevertheless, combined CAD and positron emission tomography/computed tomography scores and a discrimination point of 4 resulted in a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 80% in prediction of incidentaloma benignity.