Reappraising the role of thyroid scintigraphy in the era of TIRADS: A clinically-oriented viewpoint
Pierpaolo Trimboli, Joerg Bojunga, Maurilio Deandrea, Francesco Frasca, Alessio Impériale, Andrea Leoncini, Gaetano Paone, Fabián Pitoia, Mario Rotondi, Ramin Sadeghi, Lorenzo Scappaticcio, Giorgio Treglia, Arnoldo Piccardo
Abstract
Thyroid nodules (TNs) are a common entity, with the majority being benign. Therefore, employing an accurate rule-out strategy in clinical practice is essential. In the thyroid field, the current era is significantly marked by the worldwide diffusion of ultrasound (US)-based malignancy risk stratification systems of TN, usually reported as Thyroid Imaging Reporting And Data System (TIRADS). With the advent of US (and later TIRADS), the role of thyroid scintigraphy (TS) in clinical practice has gradually diminished. The authors of the present paper believe that the role of TS should be reappraised, also considering its essential role in detecting autonomously functioning thyroid nodules and its limited contribution to detecting thyroid cancers. Thus, this document aims to furnish endocrinologists, radiologists, surgeons, and nuclear medicine physicians with practical information to appropriately use TS.