ArticleSkeletal radiology2020
Accuracy of ultrasound in the characterization of superficial soft tissue tumors: a prospective study.
Article in Skeletal radiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnosis and Therapy of Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Spanish Group for Research in Sarcomas (GEIS) Guidelines.Cancers · 2025Guideline
- Soft tissue tumor imaging in adults: European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology-Guidelines 2023-overview, and primary local imaging: how and where?European radiology · 2024Guideline
- Construction and Validation of a Nomogram Based on Radiomics and Clinical Features for Discerning Malignant Soft Tissue TumorsCurrent medical imaging · 2026Article
- Soft Tissue Masses of the Hand.Seminars in musculoskeletal radiology · 2025Review
- Multiparametric Ultrasound in the Differential Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Tumors: A Comprehensive Review.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Narrative review of chest wall ultrasound: a practical approach.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Review
- Accuracy of clinical diagnosis, imaging methods, and biopsy in tumours and pseudo-tumours of the hand.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Article
- A practical risk stratification system based on ultrasonography and clinical characteristics for predicting the malignancy of soft tissue masses.Insights into imaging · 2024Article
- Deep learning driven diagnosis of malignant soft tissue tumors based on dual-modal ultrasound images and clinical indexes.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- Practical approach to ultrasound of soft tissue tumors and the added value of MRI: how I do it.Journal of ultrasonography · 2023Article
- Added value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound to conventional ultrasound for characterization of indeterminate soft-tissue tumors.The British journal of radiology · 2023Article
- Article
- Thigh Mass Case Report.Journal of education & teaching in emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Diagnostic Performance of US and MRI in Predicting Malignancy of Soft Tissue Masses: Using a Scoring System.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Article
- Nomogram Based on Ultrasonography and Clinical Features for Predicting Malignancy in Soft Tissue Tumors.Cancer management and research · 2021Article
- The safety of primary surgical excision of small deep indeterminate musculoskeletal soft tissue masses.The British journal of radiology · 2021Article
- Accuracy of ultrasound in the characterisation of deep soft tissue masses: a prospective study.European radiology · 2020Article
- The diagnostic value of ultrasound and shear wave elastography in the differentiation of benign and malignant soft tissue tumors.Skeletal radiology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo prospectively evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound in defining the specific nature of superficial soft tissue masses as well as determining malignancy. MATERIALS AND
methodEight hundred twenty-three superficial soft tissue masses were prospectively evaluated with ultrasound by one of five experienced musculoskeletal radiologists. The radiologist at the time of examination provided one to three specific differential diagnoses and the perceived level of confidence with regard to each diagnosis. Clinical and ultrasound diagnoses were compared with the histological diagnosis to determine accuracy. Tumor malignancy was determined by histology or clinical/imaging follow-up.
resultsHistological correlation was present for 219 (26.6%) of the 823 masses. Compared with histology, the accuracy of clinical and ultrasound examination for determining specific tumor type was 25.6% and 81.2% respectively considering all differential diagnoses provided. Radiologists were "fully confident" with the ultrasound diagnosis in 585 (71.1%) of 823 masses overall. In this setting, when compared with histology, the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 95.5%. When the radiologist was "not fully confident," accuracy was 41.3% for the first differential diagnosis and 60.9% for all differential diagnoses. Diagnostic accuracy improved with increasing radiologist experience. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ultrasound for identifying malignant tumor were 93.3%, 97.9%, 45.2%, and 99.9% respectively.
conclusionsOne can be "fully confident" at characterizing over two-thirds of superficial soft tissue masses based on ultrasound appearances and, in this setting, diagnostic accuracy is very high. Ultrasound examination is also highly accurate at discriminating benign from malignant superficial soft tissue masses.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.