Patterns of Calcification in Thyroid Nodules; Significance and Malignant Potentiality

갑상선결절내 석회화소견과 갑상선암종과의 연관성

Objectives: Calcification of the thyroid nodule has been reported to have a close relationship with differentiated thyroid carcinoma, however there are limited studies on the relationship between the calcified thyroid nodule and thyroid malignancy. The authors studied the clinical significance of calcification within the thyroid nodule. Materials and Methods: There were total of 60 patients who underwent surgery for calcified thyroid nodules which were identified from plain neck X-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography during the period January 1991 to June 1996 at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Korea University Hospital. Six patients were not included because of recurrence and previous thyroid surgery. Histopathologic and radiologic analysis was done on the remaining 54 patients. Results: Results showed that 25 of 54 cases(46%) to be malignant histopathologically. Of the 25 malignant cases, papillary carcinoma was the most common with 22 cases followed by 2 cases of undifferentiated carcinoma and I case of medullary carcinoma. Statistically high incidence of malignancy was observed when the consistency of calcified thyroid nodule was solid, shape of calcification was irregular and inhomogenous, and adhesion of calcified thyroid nodule to the regional structure was present. Conclusion: The probability that a thyroid nodule is malignant has been reported to be 3­20%. However, about half of the thyroid nodules with calcification found to be malignant on this study, calcification of the thyroid nodule can be used as a guideline for detecting thyroid malignancy.