• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 1988

We have experienced 3 cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland seen as lateral neck cyst, Usually cystic lesions of the neck have been considered as benign lesions from clinical viewpoint. The usual differential diagnosis includes branchial cleft cyst, cystic hygroma, dermoid cyst, cold abscess(tuberculous lymphadenitis) and cavitating squamous cell carcinoma. A lateral neck cyst as the sole presenting complaint of the papillary thyroid carcinoma is very rare. Preoperative diagnosis of lateral neck cyst is often diagnostic dilemma. Fine-needle aspiration cytology can be helpful in detecting the cancer cells and in demonstrating the nature of the fluid component of the lateral neck cyst. Presence of brown murky fluid from the aspirated fluid is highly suggestive of thyroid carcinoma. The thyroid scans and B-mode ultrasonography mayor may not be helpful to detect the primary focus of the thyroid gland. We suggest that a patient with a lateral neck cyst in adult age group should be considered to be a possibility of underlying thyroid carcinoma presanting as lateral neck cyst.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.166-170
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• 2019

Objective: To establish a cost-effective and easily available phantom for training residents in ultrasound-guided fine needle thyroid nodule targeting punctures. Materials and Methods: Tofu, drinking straws filled with coupling gel, a urine tube, and 21-gauge needles were used to generate a phantom thyroid with nodules for training. Twelve radiology residents were involved in the study. The puncture success rates were recorded and compared before and after phantom training using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: On ultrasonography, tofu mimicked the texture of the thyroid. Drinking straws filled with coupling gel mimicked vessels. The urine tube filled with air mimicked the trachea, and 21-gauge needles mimicked small nodules in the transverse section. The entire phantom was similar to the structure of the thyroid and surrounding tissues. The puncture success rates of radiology residents were significantly increased from 34.4 ± 14.2% to 66.7 ± 19.5% after training (p = 0.003). The phantom was constructed in approximately 10 minutes and materials cost less than CNY 10 (approximately $ 1.5) at a local store. Conclusion: The tofu model was cost-effective, easily attainable, and effective for training residents in ultrasound-guided fine needle thyroid nodule targeting punctures in vitro.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2901-2907
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• 2016

Background: Despite increasing debate about overdiagnosis and overtreatment of thyroid cancer in Korea, information to guide decisions on whether or not to undergo screening for and treatment of abnormal lesions of the thyroid is lacking. Moreover, studies have yet to outline what lay people know and want to know about thyroid cancer. The primary aim of this study was to explore general awareness of thyroid cancer among Korean women, their sources of information, and their satisfaction with the information they are provided. The secondary aim was to investigate information needs about thyroid cancer. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using focus group interviews was conducted. Twenty-nine women were divided into four groups: (1) participants who had never undergone thyroid ultrasound screening; (2) those who had undergone screening, (3) those who continued to undergo regular check-ups with ultrasonography for benign nodules of the thyroid; and (4) participants who had undergone surgery for thyroid cancer. Results: A widespread lack of awareness of information on thyroid cancer was noted among participants in groups 1 and 2 who were not well aware of thyroid cancer and generally recognized it as a 'good cancer'. Surprisingly, instead of doctors and medical personnel, most participants reported obtaining information from acquaintances and media outlets. Moreover, most participants described dissatisfaction with their experience with screening and a lack of explanation on treatment and test results from medical personnel. Conclusions: Women in Korea seek reliable information on thyroid cancer that could help them to better understand the disease and make informed decisions regarding screening and treatment. More effort is needed from medical personnel to communicate the implications of thyroid cancer, screening results, and treatments thereof to lay people.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 2019

This study has evaluated whether the method of using the combination of different risk group, according to K-TIRADS classification and K-TIRADS classification in thyroid ultrasonography is useful in a differential diagnosis of benign and malignant nodules. The subject was patients underwent thyroid ultrasonography and retrospective analysis were performed based on the results of fine needle aspiration cytology. A chi-square test was performed for the difference analysis of the score system in K-TIRADS and different risk group according to the benign and malignant of thyroid nodule. The optimized cut off value was determined by the K-TIRADS score and different risk group to predict malignant nodule through ROC curve analysis. In the differential verification result of K-TIRADS and different risk group, according to the classification of benign and malignant nodule group each showed significant difference statistically(p=.001). In the point classification according to K-TIRADS for the prediction of benign and malignant in ROC curve analysis showed AUC 0.786, Cut-off value>2(p=.001), and in the different risk group, it was decided as AUC 0.640, Cut-off value>2(p=.001). When discovering the nodule in thyroid ultrasound, it is considered that the K-TIRADAS which helps in identifying benign and malignant thyroid nodules, it is considered to be helpful in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules, than the classification system according to Different risk group, and when applying the classification system according to K-TIRADS, it is considered that it can reduce unnecessary fine needle aspiration cytology and could be helpful in finding the malignant nodules early.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1579-1586
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the modified Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS), and compare it with the 2016 version of K-TIRADS using the Thyroid Imaging Network of Korea. Materials and Methods: Between June and September 2015, 5708 thyroid nodules (≥ 1.0 cm) from 5081 consecutive patients who had undergone thyroid ultrasonography at 26 institutions were retrospectively evaluated. We used a biopsy size threshold of 2 cm for K-TIRADS 3 and 1 cm for K-TIRADS 4 (modified K-TIRADS 1) or 1.5 cm for K-TIRADS 4 (modified K-TIRADS 3). The modified K-TIRADS 2 subcategorized the K-TIRADS 4 into 4A and 4B, and the cutoff sizes for the biopsies were defined as 1 cm for K-TIRADS 4B and 1.5 cm for K-TIRADS 4A. The diagnostic performance and the rate of unnecessary biopsies of the modified K-TIRADS for detecting malignancy were compared with those of the 2016 K-TIRAD, which were stratified by nodule size (with a threshold of 2 cm). Results: A total of 1111 malignant nodules and 4597 benign nodules were included. The sensitivity, specificity, and unnecessary biopsy rate of the benign nodules were 94.9%, 24.4%, and 60.9% for the 2016 K-TIRADS; 91.0%, 39.7%, and 48.6% for the modified K-TIRADS 1; 84.9%, 45.9%, and 43.5% for the modified K-TIRADS 2; and 76.1%, 50.2%, and 40.1% for the modified K-TIRADS 3. For small nodules (1-2 cm), the diagnostic sensitivity of the modified K-TIRADS decreased by 5.2-25.6% and the rate of unnecessary biopsies reduced by 19.2-32.8% compared with those of the 2016 K-TIRADS (p < 0.001). For large nodules (> 2 cm), the modified K-TIRADSs maintained a very high sensitivity for detecting malignancy (98%). Conclusion: The modified K-TIRADSs significantly reduced the rate of unnecessary biopsies for small (1-2 cm) nodules while maintaining a very high sensitivity for malignancy for large (> 2 cm) nodules.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.530-548
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• 2020

Thyroid radiology practice is a medical practice in which thyroid diseases are diagnosed using imaging modality and treated by imaging-based interventional techniques, and the primary care target is thyroid nodular disease. Diagnosis of thyroid nodules is primarily done by ultrasound imaging and biopsy; thyroid nodules can be treated by non-surgical interventional treatment and thyroidectomy. Ethanol ablation is the first-line treatment for cystic benign nodules, and radiofrequency ablation is used for the treatment of benign solid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. Thyroid radiology practice has an essential clinical role in diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of thyroid nodular diseases, and treatment should be performed based on standard care guidelines for proper patient care. In order to provide the best care to patients with thyroid nodular disease, it is desirable to treat patients in the radiology outpatient clinic. Thyroid radiology practice centered on outpatient clinic practice needs to be expanded.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2012

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid cancer, accounting for 95% or more of malignancies in Korea. Recently, many thyroid cancers have been detected owing to the widespread use of ultrasonography in health surveillance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of known prognostic factors with the $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation and its association features in Korean patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas. The $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation was detected in 69.1% (256 of 370) of PTC cases. In univariate analysis, the $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation was significantly associated with tumor size (p < 0.05) and sex. However, it was not significantly associated with other established risk factors, such as age, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastasis. This finding supports the idea that the BRAF mutation plays a role in the early stage of PTC development. This relationship deserves further investigation to clarify whether $BRAF^{V600E}$ is a useful risk factor or prognostic marker for PTC.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1102-1111
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• 2022

Objective: To evaluate the ultrasonography (US) features for diagnosing metastasis in cervical lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with thyroid cancer and compare the US classification of risk of LN metastasis between European and Korean guidelines. Materials and Methods: From January 2014 to December 2018, US-guided fine-needle aspiration was performed on 836 LNs from 714 patients for the preoperative nodal staging of thyroid cancer. The US features of LNs were retrospectively reviewed for the following features: size, presence of hilum, margin, orientation, cystic change, punctate echogenic foci (PEF), large echogenic foci, eccentric cortical thickening, abnormal vascularity, and cortical hyperechogenicity. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent US features for the diagnosis of metastatic LNs. The diagnostic performance of independent US features was subsequently evaluated. LNs were categorized according to the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS) and European Thyroid Association (ETA) guidelines, and the correlation between the two sets of classifications was assessed. Results: Absence of the hilum, presence of cystic changes, PEF, abnormal vascularity, and cortical hyperechogenicity were independent US features of metastatic LNs. Cystic changes, PEF, abnormal vascularity, and cortical hyperechogenicity showed high specificity (86.8%-99.6%). The absence of the hilum had the highest sensitivity yet low specificity (66.4%). When LNs were classified according to the ETA guidelines and K-TIRADS, they yielded similar categorizations of malignancy risks and were strongly correlated (Spearman coefficient, 0.9766 [95% confidence interval, 0.973-0.979]). According to the ETA guidelines, 9.8% (82/836) of LNs were classified as "not specified." Conclusion: Absence of hilum, cystic changes, PEF, abnormal vascularity, and cortical hyperechogenicity were independent US features suggestive of metastatic LNs in thyroid cancer. Both K-TIRADS and the ETA guidelines provided similar risk stratification for metastatic LNs with a high correlation; however, the ETA guidelines failed to classify 9.8% of LNs into a specific risk stratum. These results may provide a basis for revising LN classification in future guidelines.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.177-181
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• 1999

Objective: The clinical significance of mass screening for thyroid carcinoma remains unclear. This study was carried out to clarify the value of mass screening for thyroid carcinoma. Materials and Methods: From December 1997 through July 1998, a total of 1,401 subjects who were enrolled to receive breast screening or follow-up examination for breast cancer were included in this study. Thyroid glands were examined by 10 MHz ultrasonography by one experienced radiologist. The patients with thyroid nodules were classified into 2 groups according to their potential risk of malignancy by ultrasonographic findings(high-risk : hypoechogenicity, microcalcification, irregular margin, taller than wider shape). High-risk patients were advised to undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy and thyroidectomy. The characteristics of the thyroid cancers detected by ultrasonographic mass screening were compared by those of clinical thyroid cancer excluding male patients during the same period. Results: Thyroid nodules were detected in 353(25.2%) of the subjects and 259(73.4%) were listed in the low-risk group and 94(26.6%) in high-risk group. Among 94 patients in the high-risk group, 43 underwent thyroidectomy and 37 turned out to have thyroid carcinomas. Thus, the detection rates for carcinoma were 2.6% of all subject, 10.5% of the detected nodules, 36.4% of the high risk women and 86.0% of the operated cases. The tumor size was significantly smaller in the mass-screening group than in the clinical cancer group(p<0.05). However, there was no statistical differences between two groups in the prevalences of neck node involvement and extracapsular invasion and the patients distributions by AMES score, MACIS score and TNM stage. Conclusion: Ultrasonogrpahic mass screening may be useful for the early detection of thyroid carcinoma in women who are scheduled to have breast examination.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.406-411
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• 2010

Objective : Esophageal/hypopharyngeal injury can be a disastrous complication of anterior cervical surgery. The amount of hypopharyngeal wall exposure within the surgical field has not been studied. The objective of this study is to evaluate the chance of hypopharyngeal wall exposure by measuring the amount of axial rotation of the thyroid cartilage (ARTC) and posterior projection of the hypopharynx (PPH). Methods : The study was prospectively designed using intraoperative ultrasonography. We measured the amount of ARTC in 27 cases. The amount of posterior projection of the hypopharynx (PPH) also was measured on pre-operative CT and compared at three different levels; the superior border of the thyroid cartilage (SBTC), cricoarytenoid joint and tip of inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage (TIHTC). The presence of air density was also checked on the same levels. Results : The angle of ARTC ranged from $-6.9^{\circ}$ to $29.7^{\circ}$, with no statistical difference between the upper and lower cervical group. The amount of PPH was increased caudally. Air densities were observed in 26 cases at the SBTC, but none at the TIHTC. Conclusion : Within the confines of the thyroid cartilage, surgeons are required to pay more attention to the status of hypopharynx/esophagus near the inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage. The hypopharynx/esophagus at the TIHTC is more likely to be exposed than at the upper and middle part of the thyroid cartilage, which may increase the risk of injury by pressure. Surgeons should be aware of the fact that the visceral component at C6-T1 surgeries also rotates as much as when the thyroid cartilage is engaged with a retractor. The esophagus at lower cervical levels warrants more careful retraction because it is not protected by the thyroid cartilage.