UNASSIGNED: The association between malignancy risk and nodule size in indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs) remains controversial. Thus, we aimed to explore the impact of nodule size as a predictor of cancer in patients with ITNs.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional study assessed 113 patients who underwent surgical intervention for ITNs, comparing two groups based on nodule size (≥4 or <4 cm). The correlation between nodule size and malignancy risk was examined. Other variables of interest included demographics, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, type of surgery, and ultrasound features.
UNASSIGNED: Of the 113 patients, 88.5% were aged <55 years, 76.1% were women, and 65.5% had nodules <4 cm. Mean nodule size was 3.4±2.3 cm. There was no significant correlation between malignancy risk and nodule size (P=0.55). An association was observed between <4 cm nodules and elevated TSH levels (P=0.03) and between ≥4 cm nodules and the presence of hypervascularity (P=0.04). Nodules <4 cm were more likely to have extrathyroidal extension, lymphovascular invasion, and positive margins than those ≥4 cm; however, this was not significant.
UNASSIGNED: Our findings showed no association between nodule size and malignancy risk, suggesting that size alone is not a predictor of cancer development. Further prospective studies are required to confirm these results.

UNASSIGNED: There is currently insufficient data to validate adult-based US risk stratification systems (RSSs) for the identification of malignant thyroid nodules in a pediatric population.
UNASSIGNED: From October 2016 and May 2023, 173 thyroid nodules of pediatric patients (age ≤ 18 years) with definitive pathology results and ultrasound (US) examination within 1 month before surgery or fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy in our institution were enrolled in this study. The clinical and US characteristics of these nodules were retrospectively reviewed and categorized according to the ACR-TIRADS, C-TIRADS, and ATA guidelines. The diagnostic performance of US-based FNA criteria (original and simulating) of the three guidelines in thyroid cancer detection was estimated.
UNASSIGNED: The three RSSs had similar AUC according to the categories(0.849-0.852, all P > 0.05). When combined with the original FNA criteria of the three RSSs to manage the nodules, the FNA rate of ACR-TIRADS and C-TIRADS were significantly less than ATA guidelines (53.18% vs. 64.63%, P < 0.05, and 52.60% vs. 64.63%, P < 0.05). The missed malignancy rate (MMR) and unnecessary FNA rate (UFR) of ATA guidelines (50.00%, 35.85%) was highest among the three RSSs, followed by the C-TIRADS (37.80%, 19.57%) and the ACR-TIRADS (37.04%, 19.57%). When nodules < 1 cm with the highest category in each RSS biopsied, that is when using the simulating FNA thresholds, the MMR was reduced overall (all P < 0.001), without a change in the UFR (all P > 0.05). All the three RSSs showed a substantial improvement in accuracy and malignant detection rate (all P < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: The ACR-TIRADS, C-TIRADS, and ATA guidelines showed high missed malignancy rates when using their original recommended FNA criteria. When nodules < 1 cm with the highest category in each RSS biopsied, the missed malignancy rate of each RSS was decreased. Decreasing the FNA thresholds for highly suspicious malignant nodules may therefore be an effective means of managing malignant thyroid nodules in pediatric patients.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to investigate the clinico-ultrasound features of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid (PSCCT) and secondary SCCT (SSCCT) and evaluate the accuracy of fine needle aspiration (FNA) recommendation for SCCT with American College of Radiology-Thyroid Imaging and Reporting Data System (ACR-TIRADS) and Chinese-TIRADS (C-TIRADS).
UNASSIGNED: We retrieved 26 SCCT patients (11 PSCCT, 15 SSCCT) from our hospital\'s pathology database (5,718 patients with thyroid malignancy) over 23 years. Medical records and ultrasound data of the 26 patients with 27 SCCTs were analyzed retrospectively, and each SCCT focus was categorized based on the two TIRADSs.
UNASSIGNED: For 26 patients (21 males, 5 females) with an age range of 42-81 years, rapidly enlarging thyroid/neck nodules (18/26, 69.2%), dysphagia (7/26, 26.9%), hoarseness (6/26, 23.1%), dyspnea (5/26, 19.6%), cough (4/26, 15.4%), neck pain (2/26, 7.7%), B symptoms (2/26, 7.7%), and blood in sputum (1/26, 3.8%) were presented at diagnosis. Five asymptomatic patients (5/26, 19.2%) were detected by ultrasound. Hoarseness was more common in PSCCT (5/11, 45.5%) than in SSCCT (1/15, 6.7%) (P=0.032). For 27 SCCTs with a mean size of 3.7 ± 1.3 cm, the ultrasound features consisted of solid (25/27, 92.6%) or almost completely solid composition (2/27, 7.4%), hypoechoic (17/27, 63%) and very hypoechoic echogenicity (10/27, 37%), irregular/lobulated margin with extra-thyroidal extension (27/27, 100%), taller-than-wide shape (13/27, 48.1%), punctate echogenic foci (6/27, 22.2%), hypervascularity (23/27, 85.2%) and involved neck lymph (13/26, 50.0%). A total of 27 SCCTs were evaluated as high malignancy risk stratification (≥TR4 and 4B) by the two TIRADSs and recommended FNA in 96.3-100% (26/27, 27/27). Pathologically, more than half of PSCCTs (7/12, 58.3%) and a quarter of SSCCTs (4/15, 26.7%) were poorly differentiated, while moderately and well-differentiated grades were observed in 5 PSCCTs and 11 SSCCTs (P=0.007). Thirteen patients (50.0%) underwent surgery with radical operation in 5 cases (5/13, 38.5%).
UNASSIGNED: SCCT is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy with a male predominance. PSCCT and SSCCT had similar clinical and ultrasound features except for tumor differentiation and the symptom of hoarseness. SCCT showed a high malignancy risk stratification in ACR-TIRADS and C-TIRADS, with a high rate of FNA recommendation.

UNASSIGNED: Thyroid storm is a potentially fatal thyrotoxicosis triggered by an event, such as manipulation of the thyroid gland, acute iodine load, trauma, or infection. Prior to deciding on fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, patients who have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism or low thyroid stimulating hormone and multinodular goiter (MNG) should be imaged via radionuclide thyroid scan.
UNASSIGNED: We present a case of a 62-year-old female patient with history of MNG, who had thyrotoxicosis on presentation due to medication noncompliance and was found to have Graves\' disease. Computed tomography scan without intravenous iodine contrast injection showed a heterogeneously appearing and notably enlarged thyroid gland with a 6.2 cm × 5.8 cm right thyroid lobe and 5.5 cm × 5.0 cm left lobe. There was a resultant narrowing of the trachea measuring 6 mm in the transverse dimension at its narrowest point. Further evaluation with dedicated ultrasound of the thyroid showing bilateral MNG with coarse calcifications as well as a notable left thyroid cyst measuring 1.6 cm × 1.2 cm × 2.3 cm, isoechoic, with smooth margins. The patient was started on methimazole 40 mg/day, cholestyramine 4 mg four times per day, prednisone 20 mg/day, saturated solution of potassium iodide 50 mg three times daily, and propranolol for heart rate control. Another service recommended FNA biopsy of the right 3 cm thyroid nodule. Two days after undergoing an FNA, she experienced a thyroid storm, requiring emergent total thyroidectomy as a life-saving procedure.
UNASSIGNED: FNA is rarely needed in the case of a hyperfunctioning thyroid nodule, as it can be seen on radionuclide thyroid scan. However, when executed, a euthyroid state needs to be achieved before attempting to perform an FNA. Total thyroidectomy is warranted in a hyperthyroid state in an emergent setting without ample time for medical therapy to be effective, as seen in our reported case.

The Asian Thyroid Working Group was founded in 2017 at the 12th Asia Oceania Thyroid Association (AOTA) Congress in Busan, Korea. This group activity aims to characterize Asian thyroid nodule practice and establish strict diagnostic criteria for thyroid carcinomas, a reporting system for thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology without the aid of gene panel tests, and new clinical guidelines appropriate to conservative Asian thyroid nodule practice based on scientific evidence obtained from Asian patient cohorts. Asian thyroid nodule practice is usually designed for patient-centered clinical practice, which is based on the Hippocratic Oath, \"First do not harm patients,\" and an oriental filial piety \"Do not harm one\'s own body because it is a precious gift from parents,\" which is remote from defensive medical practice in the West where physicians, including pathologists, suffer from severe malpractice climate. Furthermore, Asian practice emphasizes the importance of resource management in navigating the overdiagnosis of low-risk thyroid carcinomas. This article summarizes the Asian Thyroid Working Group activities in the past 7 years, from 2017 to 2023, highlighting the diversity of thyroid nodule practice between Asia and the West and the background reasons why Asian clinicians and pathologists modified Western systems significantly.

Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) is a benign vascular lesion of the spleen with uncertain etiology. It predominantly affects women between the ages of 30 and 60 years. Clinically, it is asymptomatic or can cause abdominal pain, but usually discovered incidentally on imaging, which can identify a mass but may not provide a definitive diagnosis. In uncertain vascular lesions, there is always a risk of spontaneous rupture of large vessels and the potential for spreading malignancy. Hence, the final diagnosis is rendered on microscopy after splenectomy. A middle-aged female came to the clinic complaining of abdominal pain. Radiology showed a solid splenic mass and the patient underwent splenectomy. Gross examination showed a 3 cm white firm mass with focal hemorrhage. Microscopy revealed multiple nodules of variable sizes surrounded by fibrosclerotic stroma. The nodules showed round to slit-like vascular spaces with numerous red blood cells. The internodular stroma consisted of dense fibrous tissue with scattered plump myofibroblasts and lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory cells. These distinctive features lead to the diagnosis of SANT. SANT possesses characteristic histologic features with distinctive immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC reveals three different types of vessels within the nodules as follows: (1) small veins (CD34-, CD31+, CD8-), (2) sinusoids (CD34-, CD31+, CD8+), and (3) capillaries (CD34+, CD31+, CD8-). All three types of vessels are negative for CD21/CD35 and CD68. Hemangioma and littoral cell angioma are two frequent vascular tumors in the spleen that should be considered differential diagnoses. Both lesions lack the microscopic features of SANT and have only a single type of vessel. The vessels in hemangioma are (CD31+, CD34+, CD8-), while in littoral cell angioma they are (CD31+, CD34-, CD8-, CD21+, CD68+). There are no specific clinical or radiologic findings for SANT. It is important to recognize these characteristic features and to differentiate them from other benign and malignant lesions, such as angiosarcoma. A thorough histopathologic examination and IHC are helpful in making the correct diagnosis.

UNASSIGNED: To compare the diagnostic performance in determining the malignancy of thyroid nodules and the fine needle aspiration (FNA) recommendations of the guidelines set forth by the Superficial Organ and Vascular Ultrasound Group of the Society of Ultrasound in Medicine of the Chinese Medical Association in 2020 [2020 Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (C-TIRADS)], the American College of Radiology in 2017 (2017 ACR-TIRADS) and the American Thyroid Association in 2015 (2015 ATA guidelines).
UNASSIGNED: From January 2021 to December 2021, 1,228 thyroid nodules with definitive postoperative histopathology and ultrasound (US) examination within 3 months before surgery in Shantou Central Hospital were enrolled in this study. We collected the data in 2022. The participants formed a consecutive series. The clinical and US features of the nodules were retrospectively reviewed and categorized according to the 2020 C-TIRADS, the 2017 ACR-TIRADS and the 2015 ATA guidelines. The diagnostic performance and unnecessary FNA rates of the three guidelines were calculated.
UNASSIGNED: The 2017 ACR-TIRADS had the highest diagnostic performance [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) 0.938], followed by the 2020 C-TIRADS (AUROC 0.933) and the 2015 ATA guidelines (AUROC 0.928). The ATA guidelines had the highest specificity (93.38%), accuracy (92.10%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (80.56%) among the three guidelines. There were no significant differences in the sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) among the three guidelines. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of the FNA recommendations based on the C-TIRADS were 84.25%, 58.76%, 38.92%, 92.28% and 64.82%, respectively, which were higher than those of the ACR-TIRADS (57.53%, 42.94%, 23.93%, 76.43% and 46.42%, respectively) and the ATA guidelines (62.67%, 13.25%, 18.39%, 53.22% and 25.00%, respectively). Compared with the ACR-TIRADS (76.07%) and the ATA guidelines (81.61%), the C-TIRADS showed advantages in the unnecessary FNA rate (61.08%), especially in nodules larger than 20 mm.
UNASSIGNED: The 2020 C-TIRADS, the 2017 ACR-TIRADS and the 2015 ATA guidelines can effectively predict the malignancy risk of thyroid nodules. Compared with the 2017 ACR-TIRADS and the 2015 ATA guidelines, the 2020 C-TIRADS may offer a meaningful reduction in FNA recommendations with the highest efficacy in distinguishing thyroid carcinoma.

Mycobacterium fortuitum is associated with skin and soft-tissue infections, yet isolated liver involvement is rare. A 67-year-old asymptomatic man was referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to evaluate a gastric lesion and an incidental liver mass. EUS revealed a heterogeneous liver mass that was sampled. Pathology revealed necrotic granulomatous inflammation and positive acid-fast bacilli stain with M. fortuitum deoxyribonucleic acid. Levofloxacin plus trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole for 3 months were used for complete resolution of liver lesion. Isolated nontuberculous liver involvement is uncommon. We report the first case of a liver mass caused by M. fortuitum diagnosed by EUS-fine needle aspiration.

The worldwide rollout of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccinations in the last 2 years has produced a multitude of studies investigating T-cell responses in the peripheral blood and a limited number in secondary lymphoid tissues. As a key component to an effective immune response, vaccine-specific T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are localized in the draining lymph node (LN) and assist in the selection of highly specific B-cell clones for the production of neutralizing antibodies. While these cells have been noted in the blood as circulating Tfh (cTfh) cells, they are not often taken into consideration when examining effective CD4+ T-cell responses, particularly in immunocompromised groups. Furthermore, site-specific analyses in locations such as the LN have recently become an attractive area of investigation. This is mainly a result of improved sampling methods via ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (FNB)/fine-needle aspiration (FNA), which are less invasive than LN excision and able to be performed longitudinally. While these studies have been undertaken in healthy individuals, data from immunocompromised groups are lacking. This review will focus on both Tfh and cTfh responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in healthy and immunocompromised individuals. This area of investigation could identify key characteristics of a successful LN response required for the prevention of infection and viral clearance. This furthermore may highlight responses that could be fine-tuned to improve vaccine efficacy within immunocompromised groups that are at a risk of more severe disease.

The aim of this study was to explore the clinical diagnostic value of puncture feeling during fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for non-diagnostic and indeterminate thyroid nodules.
A retrospective analysis was performed on 176 patients (196 nodules) diagnosed with Bethesda I or III by FNA cytology at the ultrasound department of our hospital between January 2017 and January 2020. Comparisons were made on the differences in puncture feeling (including stiffness and grittiness) between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, and their diagnostic performance was analyzed.
There were significant differences between benign and malignant nodules with respect to the puncture stiffness and puncture grittiness (P < 0.001). The presence of a hard stiffness and grittiness demonstrated comparable levels of diagnostic performance for malignant thyroid nodules, with sensitivities, specificities, accuracies, positive predictive values, and negative predicative values of 55.56% and 63.89%, 87.10% and 78.22%, 75.51% and 72.96%, 71.43% and 63.01%, and 77.14% and 78.86%, respectively. The diagnostic performance was most optimal in the presence of at least one puncture feeling (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.771), exhibiting a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 79.17%, 75.00%, 76.53%, 64.77, and 86.11%%, respectively.
Puncture feeling adds clinical value in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules with indeterminate FNA findings.