Evaluating the Diagnostic Efficacy of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Conjunction with Other Imaging Modalities for Distinguishing Benign from Malignant Thyroid Nodules: A Network Meta-Analysis

Category	Detail
Condition	Thyroid Nodules
Key Mechanisms	Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with imaging techniques for diagnostic accuracy.
Target Population	Patients suspected of having malignant thyroid nodules.
Care Setting	Clinical settings with high detection rates of thyroid nodules.

CEUS-ultrasound elastography (UE) shows a pooled sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 0.83.
CEUS-artificial intelligence (AI) has a pooled sensitivity of 0.95 and specificity of 0.81 for identifying high-risk nodules.
CEUS-conventional ultrasound (US) demonstrates a pooled sensitivity of 0.89 and specificity of 0.88 for non-risk-stratified nodules.
The study included 26 original studies with 4484 patients and 5022 thyroid nodules.
Validation of findings in larger, diverse cohorts is necessary.

Use CEUS in conjunction with other imaging modalities for improved diagnostic accuracy.

Focus on nodule risk stratification and precise treatment based on imaging findings.

Patients with thyroid nodules suspected of malignancy.

CEUS can serve as an adjunct to standard ultrasound for risk stratification.

Incorporate CEUS with other imaging techniques for comprehensive evaluation.
Utilize quantitative and qualitative assessments of nodules for accurate diagnosis.

Clinical Scorecard: Evaluating the Diagnostic Efficacy of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Conjunction with Other Imaging Modalities for Distinguishing Benign from Malignant Thyroid Nodules: A Network Meta-Analysis