The Value of Elastosonography in Evaluation of Thyroid Nodules

Elastosonography (ES) is a rapidly evolving technology in the evaluation of nodules occurring in different tissues. It is based on the assumption that malignant tissues have an altered organization of cells and interstitial elements leading to a more stiff structure. Thyroid ES by utilizing light external compressions or internal compressions caused by carotid systolic pulses displays thyroid stiffness either as a color coded pseudo-image pattern or an index of stiffness as compared to surrounding tissue. It is reported to have especially a high negative predictive value for papillary carcinomas. Still, to have a place in the algorithms for nodule evaluation further improvement is required in the technique to decrease intra and interobserver variability and its diagnostic capacity. This patent review highlights basics and developments on elastosonography for thyroid nodule evaluation in the past few years.