Objectives: To clarify the role of cervical ultrasound in the investigation and characterization of thyroid nodules and its predictive value for malignancy or benignity by searching for a correlation between ultrasound findings and histology results. MaterialsandMethods: We performed a prospective study of 34 patients who underwent surgery for nodular thyroid disease at the Louga Regional Hospital Centre over a ten-month period, from 1 January 2023 to 31 October 2023. Results: There were 33 women and 1 man, giving a sex ratio of 0.03. The average age of patients was 42.35 years. Thyroid nodules were discovered in 94.1% of cases due to anterior cervical swelling. A family history of thyroid goiter was noted in 23.5% of patients, and 20.6% of patients had thyroid hyperfunction. On ultrasound, 52.9% of nodules were solitary and 47.1% were part of a multinodular goiter. The nodules were bilobar in 41.2% of cases, with an average size of 26.2 mm. The nodules were solid in 52.9% of cases, mixed in 41.2% and spongiform in 5.9%. The form was oval for 33 nodules (97.1%) and non-oval for 1 nodule (2.9%); 5.9% of nodules had irregular borders. In terms of echogenicity, 17.6% of nodules were hyperechoic, 50% were isoechoic, 20.6% were mildly hypoechoic, 5.9% were severely hypoechoic and 5.9% were anechoic. Microcalcifications were found in 5.9% of cases. The nodules were classed as EU-TIRADS 2 in 5.88% of cases, EU-TIRADS 3 in 64.71%, EU-TIRADS 4 in 20.59% and EU-TIRADS 5 in 8.82% of cases. On histology, 17.6% of nodules were malignant. The risk of malignancy was 0% for score 2, 4.5% for score 3, 28.6% for score 4 and 100% for score 5. The risk of malignancy was associated with nodule size, non-oval shape, irregular contours, hypoechoic appearance and the presence of microcalcifications. Conclusion: Pertinent ultrasound analysis remains highly useful in the pre-surgical identification of factors predictive of malignancy in thyroid nodules.
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