Purpose: To determine whether we should recommend ultrasonography (US) foran incidental thyroid nodule identified by additional cervicothoracic sagittal T2-weighted image (C-T sag T2WI) of lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 61 patients who underwent bothlumbar spine MRI and thyroid US between December 2011 and April 2015 wasconducted. For all US-found thyroid nodules > 1 cm, investigators evaluated whetherthere was any correlation between thyroid nodule detectability by C-T sag T2WI andUS features such as echogenicity, composition, or suspicion of malignancy.
Results: Solid hypoechoic (2/4; 50%) or mixed echoic nodules (4/8; 50%) appearedto be found relatively more easily by C-T sag T2WI than more benign-looking solidisoechoic (1/4; 25%) or spongiform nodules (0/6; 0%). Among six nodules withultrasonographic suspicion for malignancy, only one nodule was detected by C-T sagT2WI.
Conclusion: If an incidental thyroid nodule is seen by C-T sag T2WI, it would bebetter to recommend thyroid US for identifying malignancy.