DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF TIRADS (THYROID IMAGING REPORTING AND DATA SYSTEM) IN IDENTIFYING THYROID NODULES ON ULTRASOUND, USING BETHESDA CYTOLOGICAL CATEGORIES FROM FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY AS THE GOLD STANDARD

Authors

  • Rafia Irum Author
  • Hira Bushra Author
  • Riffat Kamal Author
  • Mariyam Rehman Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59058/7j6z6y78

Keywords:

Thyroid nodules, Ultrasonography, Diagnostic accuracy, Cytology

Abstract

Background & Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of TIRADS (Thyroid Imaging Reporting
and Data System) in identifying thyroid nodules on ultrasound, using Bethesda Cytological categories from
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology as the gold standard.
Methods: 130 patients, diagnosed with both; solitary nodules and muti-nodular goiters were included.
TIRADS scoring by using ultrasound was done. “Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was done and the
Bethesda category was recorded. All the data was analyzed in SPSS v.25.
Results: The mean age of patients was 38.6 ± 15.6 years. There were 51.5% males and 48.5% females. The
average nodule size was 2.52 ± 1.10 cm, with 52.3% having solitary nodules and 47.7% multi-nodularity.
FNAC Bethesda showed high sensitivity (85.7%–100%) and diagnostic accuracy (86.6%–98.4%), with
better performance in larger nodules, females, and nodules present for over eight months. Positive TIRADS
and Bethesda scores were found in 35.4% and 38.5% of patients, respectively.
Conclusion: FNAC Bethesda and TIRADS demonstrated high diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy,
especially in larger nodules, solitary nodularity, females, and prolonged swelling

References

1. Bhushan Shah RM, Vijayasekar I, Shah BB.

Diagnostic Performance of the American College of

Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data

System. World J Endoc Surg 2020;12(3):114.

2. Zoofishan B, Kabir A, Amir S, Faryal R. Relationship

of symptoms with demographic features in case of

thyroid disorders in Pakistani population. Asian J

Biomed Pharma Sci 2012;2(12):37-40.

3. Shah N, Ursani TJ, Shah NA, Raza HMZ. Prevalence

and manifestations of hypothyroidism among

population of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Pure and

Ap p li e d Bi o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 0 ( 3 ): 6 6 8 - 6 7 5 .

http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2021.100069

4. Tan H, Li Z, Li N, Qian J, Fan F, Zhong H, et al.

Thyroid imaging reporting and data system

combined with Bethesda classification in qualitative

t h y r o i d n o d u l e d i a g n o sis. M e d i c i n e

2019;98(50):e18320. http://doi.org/10.1097/-

MD.0000000000018320.

5. Pizzato M, Li M, Vignat J, Laversanne M, Singh D,

La Vecchia C, et al. The epidemiological landscape

of thyroid cancer worldwide: GLOBOCAN

estimates for incidence and mortality rates in 2020.

Lancet Diab Endocrinol 2022;10(4):264-272.

http://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00035-3.

6. Jukić T, Blažeković I, Franceschi M, Ovčariček PP,

Butković MB, Dabelić N, et al. Long-term outcome

of differentiated thyroid cancer patients—Fifty

years of Croatian thyroid disease referral centre

experience. Diagnostics 2022;12(4):866.

hppt://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12040866.

7. Anwar K, Mohammad AY, Khan S. The sensitivity of

TIRADS scoring on ultrasonography in the

management of thyroid nodules. Pak J Med Sci

2023;39(3):870. https://doi.org/10.12669/-

pjms.39.3.7313.

8. Celletti I, Fresilli D, De Vito C, Bononi M, Cardaccio

S, Cozzolino A, et al. TIRADS, SRE and SWE in

I N D E T E R M I N AT E t h y r o i d n o d u l e

characterization: Which has better diagnostic

performance? Radiol Med 2021;126(9):1189-1200.

http://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-021-01349-5.

9. Wahid G, Tamkeen N, Maqsood F, Afsar M, Fahim S.

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in detecting

malignant thyroid nodules keeping histopathology

as gold standard. J Postgrad Med Inst 2024;38(3)11-

13. https://pjp.pps.org.pk/index.php/PJP/article/-

view/900

10. Hicks KB, Glaser K, Scott C, Sparks D, McHenry

CR. Enumerating the causes and burden of first case

operating room delays. Am J Surg 2020;219(3):486-

489. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.09.016.

11. Wolinski K, Stangierski A, Ruchala M. Comparison

of diagnostic yield of core-needle and fine-needle

aspiration biopsies of thyroid lesions: systematic

review and meta-analysis. Eur Radiol 2017;27:431-

436. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4356-9.

12. Weber AL, Randolph G, Aksoy FG. The thyroid and

parathyroid glands: CT and MR imaging and

correlation with pathology and clinical findings.

Radiol Clin N Am 2000;38(5):1105-1129.

http://doi.org/10.1016/s0033-8389(05)70224-4.

13. Koike E, Noguchi S, Yamashita H, Murakami T,

Ohshima A, Kawamoto H, et al. Ultrasonographic

characteristics of thyroid nodules: prediction of

malignancy. Arch Surg 2001;136(3):334-337.

http://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.136.3.334.

14. Alexander EK, Heering JP, Benson CB, Frates MC,

Doubilet PM, Cibas ES, Marqusee E. Assessment of

nondiagnostic ultrasound-guided fine needle

aspirations of thyroid nodules. J Clin Endocrinol

Metab 2002;87(11):4924-4927. http://doi.org/-

10.1210/jc.2002-020865.

15. Propper RA, Skolnick ML, Weinstein BJ, Dekker A.

The nonspecificity of the thyroid halo sign. J Clin

Ultrasound 1980;8(2):129-132. http://doi.org/-

10.1002/jcu.1870080206.

16. Alshaikh S, Harb Z, Aljufairi E, Almahari SA.

Classification of thyroid fine-needle aspiration

cytology into Bethesda categories: An institutional

experience and review of the literature. Cytojournal

2018;15:4. http://doi.org/10.4103/cytojournal-

.cytojournal_32_17

17. De D, Dutta S, Tarafdar S, Kar SS, Das U, Basu K, et

al. Comparison between sonographic features and

fine needle aspiration cytology with histopathology

in the diagnosis of solitary thyroid nodule. Indian J

Endocrinol Metab 2020;24(4):349-354.

http;//doi.org/10.4103/ijem.IJEM_349_20.

18. Alshoabi SA, Binnuhaid AA. Diagnostic accuracy of

ultrasonography versus fine-needle-aspiration

cytology for predicting benign thyroid lesions. Pak J

Med Sci 2019;35(3):630. http://doi.org/

10.12669/pjms.35.3.292

19. Wildman-Tobriner B, Buda M, Hoang JK, Middleton

WD, Thayer D, Short RG, et al. Using artificial

intelligence to revise ACR TI-RADS risk

stratification of thyroid nodules: diagnostic

accuracy and utility. Radiology 2019;292(1):112-

119. http://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2019182128.

20. Orhan Soylemez UP, Gunduz N. Diagnostic accuracy

of five different classification systems for thyroid

nodules: a prospective, comparative study. J

Ultrasound Med 2022;41(5):1125-1136.

http://doi.org/10.1002/jum.15802.

Downloads

Published

15-09-2025

How to Cite

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF TIRADS (THYROID IMAGING REPORTING AND DATA SYSTEM) IN IDENTIFYING THYROID NODULES ON ULTRASOUND, USING BETHESDA CYTOLOGICAL CATEGORIES FROM FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY AS THE GOLD STANDARD. (2025). JAIMC: Journal of Allama Iqbal Medical College, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.59058/7j6z6y78

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.