Evaluation of the Stiffness of Tissues Surrounding Thyroid Nodules with Shear Wave Elastography

Objectives This study evaluated the stiffness of tissue surrounding thyroid nodules using shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods A total of 128 thyroid nodules in 108 patients were examined with conventional ultrasound imaging and SWE. The maximum Young modulus value was measured to evaluate the stiffness of the thyroid nodules (E) and the 2‐mm perinodular region (Eshell). The number of thyroid fibrocytes was evaluated by Masson trichrome staining and image‐processing software. The arrangement of the fibrous structure was also classified. Results The mean age ± SD of the 108 patients was 33.12 ± 13.34 years (range, 18–80 years). Thirty‐nine thyroid nodules were classified as benign and 89 as malignant. Eshell was significantly higher for malignant nodules (95.0 ± 21.9 kPa) compared with benign nodules (48.1 ± 17.0 kPa; P