Role of imaging in the management of thyroglossal duct cyst carcinomas (TGC-TIRADS): a single centre retrospective study over 16 years

IntroductionThyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is the most frequently encountered developmental anomaly in thyroid genesis with a reported incidence of 7% in the adult population. The cyst is known to develop anywhere along the pathway of thyroid descent but is more frequently seen in the infrahyoid neck in the midline. The incidence of malignancy in a TGDC is approximately 1%; a majority of these are papillary carcinomas. This study was conducted at a single tertiary care centre which spanned over a decade which adds practice changing evidence-based knowledge to existing literature on this rare entity. A comprehensive study which conclusively establishes the imaging features predictive of malignancy in TGDC carcinomas (TGDCa), the protocol for optimal management, clinical outcome and long-term survival of these patients is not available. Although TGDC carcinoma is thought to have an excellent prognosis, there is not enough data available on the long-term survival of these patients. The aim of this study was to identify whether neck ultrasound (US) can serve as an accurate imaging tool for the preoperative diagnosis of TGDC carcinomas.MethodsWe accessed the electronic medical records of 86 patients with TGDC between January 2005 to December 2021. Of these, 22 patients were detected with TGDC papillary carcinoma on histopathologic examination. Relevant imaging, treatment and follow up information for all cases of TGDC carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. We compared US characteristics predictive of malignancy across outcomes groups; malignant vs benign using the Chi-square test. Based on the results, a TGC-TIRADS classification was proposed with calculation of the percentage likelihood of malignancy for each category.ResultsCompared to benign TGDCs, malignant TGDCs were more likely to present with following US characteristics: irregular or lobulated margins (90.40 vs. 38.10%), solid-cystic composition (61.90 vs. 17.07%), internal vascularity (47.62 vs. 4.88 %), internal calcification (76.19 vs. 7.32 %) (each p value < 0.005). Calcifications and internal vascularity were the most specific while irregular/lobulated margins were the most sensitive feature for malignancy. AUC under the ROC curve was 0.88. Allpatients were operated and were disease free at the end of 5 years or till the recent follow up.DiscussionUS is the imaging modality of choice for pre-operative diagnosis of TGDC carcinoma. Thepre-operative diagnosis and risk stratification of thyroglossal lesions will be aided by the application of the proposed TGC-TIRADS classification, for which the percentage likelihood of malignancy correlated well with the results in our study. Sistrunk procedure is adequate for isolated TGDC carcinoma; suspicious neck nodes on imaging also necessitates selective nodal dissection. Papillary carcinomas have an excellent prognosis with low incidence of disease recurrence

The journey of ultrasound-based thyroid nodule risk stratification scoring systems: Do all roads lead to Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TIRADS)?

A number of qualitative and quantitative ultrasound (US) risk stratification systems for thyroid nodules are being used all over the world, new ones are being devised but so far, no consensus on a single system has emerged. Efforts by the worldwide medical community involved in the management of thyroid nodules are converging toward US risk stratification systems, which could provide a high-sensitivity and high-negative predictive value (NPV) for the diagnosis of clinically significant thyroid carcinomas. In this article, we review the fascinating journey of thyroid US-based thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS), the changing trends in TIRADS and emerging stratification systems to assess the risk of malignancy. Our recommendation is to develop a comprehensive system of risk stratification which incorporates clinically relevant as well as radiological risk factors and aims to accurately predict the risk of malignancy and oncologic outcome for each patient

A Journey of Sangtin: Feminist Thought Wrapped in Seven Lives

This is the 2009 revised web edition of the 2004 book in Hindustani and Awadhi.Authored with eight activists of Sangtin, a small organization in Sitapur District of Uttar Pradesh, India, this book is a product of a collective intellectual and political journey that began in March, 2002. Based on autobiographical writings of seven authors and our collective analysis, the book examines the interplay of caste, gender, class, and location in the interrelationships among NGOs, grassroots feminisms, and the global politics of knowledge production