Trial reportCancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society2025
The impact of a simple positioning aid device on the diagnostic performance of thyroid cancer in CT scans: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a simple positioning aid device in neck CT scans for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, with a focus on its influence on image quality and diagnostic accuracy.
methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 180 patients with suspected thyroid cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the device-assisted positioning group (Group A) and the traditional positioning group (Group B). A total of 147 patients who underwent enhanced neck CT scans and subsequent surgical pathological biopsies were included in the final analysis. Image quality and thyroid disease diagnoses were independently assessed by two experienced radiologists, with a unified consensus for the final conclusions. Objective imaging parameters and subjective ratings were used to evaluate image quality. Pathological findings served as the gold standard to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the two groups for thyroid malignancy, capsular invasion, and lymph node metastasis. Additionally, radiation doses in both groups were compared.
resultsA total of 147 patients were included in the analysis, with 72 patients in Group A and 75 in Group B. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar (P > 0.05). Group A demonstrated significantly superior image quality compared to Group B, with shorter length of artifacts (LA), lower proportion of affected thyroid (PA), and lower artifact index (AI). Subjective assessments also favored Group A, showing better ratings for regional artifacts and overall image quality. In terms of diagnostic accuracy, Group A outperformed Group B in detecting thyroid cancer (AUC: 0.852 vs. 0.676, P = 0.021). For the right thyroid lobe, Group A had significantly better diagnostic performance (AUC: 0.897 vs. 0.746, P = 0.016). Group A also showed superior performance in diagnosing capsular invasion (AUC: 0.861 vs. 0.721, P = 0.037), with similar results observed for both the left and right thyroid lobes. There was no significant difference between the groups in diagnosing lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, thyroid region radiation doses (CTDIvol and SSDE) were significantly lower in Group A compared to Group B.
conclusionThe use of a positioning aid device significantly improves CT image quality, enhancing diagnostic accuracy for malignant thyroid lesions and capsular invasion, while also reducing radiation exposure.
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.