Diagnostic Accuracy of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DW-MRI) in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodule

Diagnostic Accuracy of DW-MRI in Differentiating Thyroid Nodule

Abstract

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules, keeping histopathology as the gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Radiology Department, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Duration: 24th June 2021 to 23rd December 2021. Methods: From a total of 145 patients with palpable thyroid nodules on clinical examination of size >5mm and duration >3 months of age 25-65 years of either gender were included. DW-MRI was performed on all patients and correlated with histopathology reports. Results: From 145 patients, 55.86% were from 25 to 45 years. The majority (57.93%) are females. Overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of DW-MRI were 94.29%, 90.61%, 90.41%, 94.44%, and 92.41%, respectively. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that DW-MRI is a non-invasive modality that exhibits high accuracy in distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid lesions.