Reading C C, Gorman C A
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Clin Lab Med. 1993 Sep;13(3):711-24.
Nuclear medicine, ultrasound, CT, and MRI are imaging methods that can be used to evaluate the thyroid gland. All these techniques give structural information about the thyroid gland and show the location and size of thyroid nodules. Nuclear medicine scanning also adds functional information about nodules. In many practices, however, FNA has supplanted imaging methods as the primary method of thyroid nodule evaluation because it is safe, inexpensive, and results in a better selection of patients for operation. Imaging studies are very useful in the setting of recurrent thyroid cancer. Ultrasound is extremely sensitive in the detection of recurrent malignancy in regional cervical lymph nodes and as a guide in performing a biopsy of these nodes. CT is very useful in identifying distant metastases in the chest and abdomen. Nuclear medicine scanning can detect functioning distant metastases when the metastases are from differentiated thyroid cancers. MRI can be used to evaluate the possibility of recurrent thyroid cancer; however, because of its relatively high cost, it is used less frequently than other imaging methods.
核医学、超声、CT和MRI是可用于评估甲状腺的成像方法。所有这些技术都能提供有关甲状腺的结构信息，并显示甲状腺结节的位置和大小。核医学扫描还能提供有关结节的功能信息。然而，在许多医疗实践中，细针穿刺抽吸活检（FNA）已取代成像方法，成为甲状腺结节评估的主要方法，因为它安全、廉价，并且能更好地筛选出需要手术的患者。成像研究在复发性甲状腺癌的诊断中非常有用。超声在检测颈部区域淋巴结的复发性恶性肿瘤以及引导对这些淋巴结进行活检方面极其敏感。CT在识别胸部和腹部的远处转移方面非常有用。当转移瘤来自分化型甲状腺癌时，核医学扫描可以检测到有功能的远处转移瘤。MRI可用于评估复发性甲状腺癌的可能性；然而，由于其成本相对较高，其使用频率低于其他成像方法。
