Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography alone versus computed tomography combined with ultrasound for diagnosing lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Combining computed tomography (CT) with ultrasound improves the diagnostic accuracy of detecting cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer compared to CT alone, which has low sensitivity for central cervical lymph nodes. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Hussain A. Alharbi; Laila Z. Alzamil; Sumaiya H. Muathen; Hadad H. Alkaff; Omar A. Abu Suliman; Faisal A. Saati; Ameen Z. Alherabi

doi:10.1016/j.jtumed.2026.08.004

September 4, 2026Journal of Taibah University Medical SciencesOpen Access

Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography alone versus computed tomography combined with ultrasound for diagnosing lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Key Points

To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT) alone versus CT combined with ultrasound for detecting cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer.
Retrospective diagnostic accuracy study included 134 thyroid cancer patients who underwent preoperative CT or ultrasound at King Abdullah Medical City in Saudi Arabia between 2009 and 2020.
Histopathological examination served as the reference standard to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), overall accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC).
Combined CT and ultrasound achieved an overall sensitivity of 71.05%, specificity of 91.67%, PPV of 77.14%, NPV of 88.89%, overall accuracy of 85.82%, and an AUC of 0.814.
In lateral cervical lymph nodes, diagnostic performance reached a sensitivity of 73.68%, specificity of 90.63%, PPV of 75.68%, NPV of 89.69%, accuracy of 85.82%, and an AUC of 0.822.
In central cervical lymph nodes (compartment VI), sensitivity was markedly lower at 28.95%, with a specificity of 98.96%, PPV of 91.67%, NPV of 77.87%, accuracy of 79.10%, and an AUC of 0.640.

Implication

Retrospective study demonstrates higher accuracy using combined computed tomography and ultrasound for cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer, highlighting the benefit of dual imaging.

Abstract

No abstract yet. The journal hasn't published one we can show.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Cite This Study

Alharbi et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9d1e9328139818eab218e2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2026.08.004

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography alone versus computed tomography combined with ultrasound for diagnosing lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography alone versus computed tomography combined with ultrasound for diagnosing lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Keep reading

Keep reading