ArticleGland surgery2016
Is vascular flow a predictor of malignant thyroid nodules? A meta-analysis.
Article in Gland surgery, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Predictors of thyroid cancer in paediatric patients with thyroid nodules: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Evaluation and Management of Thyroid Nodules: A Joint Consensus Statement From the British Thyroid Association (BTA), British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons (BAETS) and Collaborating Bodies.Clinical endocrinology · 2026Article
- Article
- Assessment of risk factors and ultrasonographic characteristics for the differentiation between malignant and benign thyroid nodules in Beni-Suef governorate, Egypt.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Article
- Impact of Ultrasonographic Features Indicative of Malignancy on Tumor Advancement in Thyroid Cancer-A Single-Center Study.Cancers · 2025Article
- Management of Thyroid Nodules.Sisli Etfal Hastanesi tip bulteni · 2023Review
- 2021 Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System and Imaging-Based Management of Thyroid Nodules: Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology Consensus Statement and Recommendations.Korean journal of radiology · 2021Review
- Analysis of vascularization in thyroid gland nodes with superb microvascular imaging (SMI) and CD34 expression histology: a pilot study.BMC medical imaging · 2021Article
- Usefulness of Color Doppler Ultrasonography in the Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules.European thyroid journal · 2021Article
- A Computational Study on the Role of Parameters for Identification of Thyroid Nodules by Infrared Images (and Comparison with Real Data).Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- British Thyroid Association 2014 classification ultrasound scoring of thyroid nodules in predicting malignancy: Diagnostic performance and inter-observer agreement.Ultrasound (Leeds, England) · 2020Article
- Vascular flow on doppler sonography may not be a valid characteristic to distinguish colloid nodules from papillary thyroid carcinoma even when accounting for nodular size.Gland surgery · 2019Article
- Thyroid cancer detection rate and associated risk factors in patients with thyroid nodules classified as Bethesda category III.Radiology and oncology · 2018Article
- Comparison of Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging with Conventional Ultrasound Risk Stratification Systems in Presurgical Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules.Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolismArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSeveral reports have proposed that increased vascular flow on color Doppler sonography may be associated with malignancy in thyroid nodules. Others have described no correlation between the presence of flow and risk of malignancy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the vascularity of a thyroid nodule can aid in the prediction of malignancy by performing a meta-analysis of the current literature.
methodsIndependent reviewers conducted a systematic review of publications from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review using the following keyword searches: "vascular thyroid nodule", and "vascular malignant thyroid nodule". Outcomes included vascular flow pattern, nodule size, calcifications, echogenicity, margins, and shape. Data were extracted following review of appropriate studies, and outcome differences were calculated using analysis of variance and the Bonferroni method.
resultsEighty-nine publications were identified and 14 prospective studies met inclusion criteria totaling 4,154 thyroid nodules, 1,419 (34%) of which were malignant. Thirty-three percent of malignant thyroid nodules had no vascular flow, while 17% had peripheral and 50% had internal vascular flow. There was no significant difference in vascular flow (95% CI: -14.329, 4.257), or peripheral vascular flow rate between malignant and benign thyroid nodules (95% CI: -29.254, 4.313). Also, there was no significant difference in internal vascularity between malignant and benign thyroid nodules (95% CI: -72.067, 2.824).
conclusionsIt appears that utilization of vascular flow on color Doppler sonography may not accurately predict malignancy in thyroid nodules. Further studies are warranted to investigate the predictive role of increased vascularity in diagnosing suspicious thyroid nodules.
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