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Tips for improving consistency of thyroid nodule interpretation with ACR TI-RADS

Gavin Low, Meredith Bara, Yang Du, Prayash Katlariwala, Roger Croutze, Katrin Resch, Jonathan Porter, Medica Sam, Mitchell Wilson

Affiliation and address for correspondence
J Ultrason 2022; 22: e51–e56.
DOI: 10.15557/JoU.2022.0009
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Abstract

Thyroid nodules are very common in the general population. Most are benign and even those that are malignant are typically slow-growing and do not require treatment. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment of thyroid nodules has resulted in significant healthcare costs. ACR TI-RADS was developed to address these concerns, and reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies and follow-up intervals. ACR TI-RADS offers a point-based risk stratification system centered on five sonographic features: consistency, echogenicity, shape, margins and echogenic foci. While the system has noticeable benefits and comparable accuracy with other available risk stratification systems (ATA, EU-TIRADS and K-TIRADS), there are inherent challenges relating to suboptimal inter-reader agreement. In this article, we include 10 educational tips that may be helpful to the ultrasound practitioner for improving the consistency of nodule interpretation with ACR TI-RADS.

Keywords
education; thyroid nodules; thyroid; ultrasound