# Can anyone explain what these ultrasound results mean?



## jmill (Mar 23, 2010)

I finally got an ultrasound and I received a copy for my records. I have no understanding of the findings and was wondering if anyone familiar with these numbers could explain them to me. From what I could find on an internet search, the thyroid gland appears about normal in size but I don't understand anything about nodules. Anyone have anything to share? Thanks

Results of ultrasound:
Right lobe measures 5.0 cm x 1.2 cm x1.8 cm. The isthmus measures 1.2 mm. The left lobe measures 4.8 cm x 1.1 cm x 1.6 cm. There are four hypoechoic nodules within the right lobe of the gland. These measure less than 5mm. No focal nodules were observed within the left lobe. There are no calcifications in the gland. Vascularity is normal. No nodal enlargement is seen in the neck.

Is this all just normal? It sounds OK from what I can find but that isn't very much. Is any follow up necessary?


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Your lobes are pretty symmetrical, and you have some small nodules--too small to biopsy. Many, many people have nodules (I forget what percentage), so I wouldn't be overly concerned about them at this point. Perhaps watch them over the next 6-12 months to see if they grow.

I'm not seeing any cause for alarm...but then again, I'm no doctor.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jmill said:


> I finally got an ultrasound and I received a copy for my records. I have no understanding of the findings and was wondering if anyone familiar with these numbers could explain them to me. From what I could find on an internet search, the thyroid gland appears about normal in size but I don't understand anything about nodules. Anyone have anything to share? Thanks
> 
> Results of ultrasound:
> Right lobe measures 5.0 cm x 1.2 cm x1.8 cm. The isthmus measures 1.2 mm. The left lobe measures 4.8 cm x 1.1 cm x 1.6 cm. There are four hypoechoic nodules within the right lobe of the gland. These measure less than 5mm. No focal nodules were observed within the left lobe. There are no calcifications in the gland. Vascularity is normal. No nodal enlargement is seen in the neck.
> ...


Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm; no radiologist here, that is for sure but...........

Echogenicity 
The incidence of malignancy is 4% when a solid thyroid nodule is hyperechoic. If the lesion is hypoechoic (Fig. 1), the incidence of malignancy rises to 26% [29]. However, hypoechogenicity alone is inaccurate in predicting malignancy, and if used as a sole predictive sign, it has a relatively poor specificity (49%) and positive predictive value (40%) [30].

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1665239/

What comments has your doctor made regarding this? I think there should be a follow-up. Maybe a radioactive uptake. Humble opinion.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Hypoechoic does raise some concern (essentially, it means that this tissue is "slower" at echoing back the ultrasound waves, relative to the surrounding tissue). That said, as Octavia mentioned, they are pretty small nodules now. Most of the time, they like to see them bigger than 1cm for a biopsy. I would make sure that regular u/s are set up to monitor the nodules in the event that they increase in size.


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