SynthesisEndocrine2021
Inappropriate use of thyroid ultrasound: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Endocrine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Safety of surgery for managing hyperthyroidism in patients with or without preoperative euthyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Endocrine · 2025Pooled it
- Variation and potential overuse in thyroid ultrasound ordering: exploratory insights from a clinician survey.Endocrine · 2026Article
- Review
- 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
- [Ultrasound in secondary prevention of thyroid nodules-evidence, benefits, and limitations].HNO · 2026Review
- Unravelling the rise in thyroid cancer incidence and addressing overdiagnosis.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Evaluating the Total Healthcare Cost of Inappropriately Ordered Thyroid Ultrasounds.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2025Article
- Time to de-implementation of low-value cancer screening practices: a narrative review.BMJ quality & safety · 2025Review
- Review
- Differential Ultrasound Rates Mirror Sex Disparities in Thyroid Cancer.Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association · 2024Article
- Thyroid Ultrasound Appropriateness Identification Through Natural Language Processing of Electronic Health Records.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2024Article
- Machine learning to predict the occurrence of thyroid nodules: towards a quantitative approach for judicious utilization of thyroid ultrasonography.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
- Rates of Detecting Thyroid Nodules Recommended for Biopsy with Ultrasound: Are All Indications Equal?Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association · 2023Observational
- Drivers of Thyroid Ultrasound Use: A Retrospective Observational Study.Endocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists · 2023Observational
- Towards De-Implementation of low-value thyroid care in older adults.Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity · 2022Review
- Thyroid Cancer Screening Using Tumor-Associated DN T Cells as Immunogenomic Markers.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Role of Genetic Testing in the Management of Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules in the Indian Setting.Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolismReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposeNearly half the cases of thyroid cancer, a malignancy rapidly rising in incidence within the United States, are attributable to small and asymptomatic papillary thyroid cancers that will not increase mortality. A primary driver of thyroid cancer overdiagnosis is ultrasound use. It is therefore valuable to understand how inappropriate use of thyroid ultrasound is defined, analyze the current evidence for its frequency, and identify interventions to lessen misuse.
methodsOvid MEDLINE(R), Ovid EMBASE, and Scopus databases were searched from inception to June 2020 for studies assessing inappropriate use of thyroid ultrasound. Reviewers, working independently and in duplicate, evaluated studies for inclusion, extracted data, and graded risk of bias. We used a random-effects model with a generalized linear mixed approach to calculate the mean overall proportion estimates of inappropriate use.
resultsSeven studies (total n = 1573) met the inclusion criteria with moderate to high risk of bias. Inappropriate thyroid ultrasound use was described variably, using published practice guidelines, third-party expert reviewers, or author interpretations of the literature. The overall frequency of inappropriate thyroid ultrasound use was 46% (95% CI 15-82%; n = 388) and 34% (95% CI 16-57%; n = 190) among studies using guideline based definitions. The pooled frequency of iUS due to thyroid dysfunction (either hypothyroidism or thyrotoxicosis) was 17% (95% CI 7-37%; n = 191) and the frequency of iUS due to nonspecific symptoms without a palpable mass was 11% (95% CI 5-22%; n = 124). No study examined interventions to address inappropriate use.
conclusionsLow quality evidence suggests that inappropriate use of thyroid ultrasound is common. Interventional studies aiming to decrease the inappropriate use of thyroid ultrasound are urgently needed.
Indexed as
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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.