Ultrasound guided assessment of thyroid nodules based on the 2014 British Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid cancer - How we do it.

Ultrasound guided assessment of thyroid nodules based on the 2014 British Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid cancer - How we do it.

Clin Otolaryngol. 2016 Jan 23;

Authors: Kanona H, Virk JS, Offiah C, Stimpson P

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To measure our clinical practice against the new gold standard British thyroid Association (BTA) Guideline on the ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules.
DESIGN: Prospective Patient Archive and Communication System (PACS) search.
SETTING: A tertiary referral head and neck centre in London.
PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred and fifty nine thyroid radiology ultrasound (US) reports were examined.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Strict compliance with BTA reporting guidelines by provision of a 'U score' and the reporting of recognised features associated with benign and suspicious thyroid on US scan. We also recorded the type of radiology reporter and correlation of US findings against FNAC.
RESULTS: U scores were provided in 2 (1.5% of 132), 15 (18% of 83) and 33 (22.9% of 144) US scan reports for each respective audit cycle. Using a 2-sided Fischer's Exact Test, there was significant improvement between the 1(st) and 2(nd) cycle and the 1(st) and 3(rd) cycle (p<0.0001), but no significant improvement between the 2(nd) and 3(rd) cycle (p<0.499). Head and Neck Radiologists were largely responsible for reporting U scores in 2 (100%), 11 (73.3%) and 27 (81.8%) of the US scans for each audit cycle (p<0.0002).
CONCLUSION: Our audit demonstrates a modest, but significant improvement in adherence to the BTA guidance following an educational programme. In future, it may be helpful to develop reporting proformas with minimum data fields. This would guide clinicians and provide reassurance that all the relevant features have been considered and also provide a useful tool for future research and audit. Close liaison with colleagues from radiology is important in this regard. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID: 26801368 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from #MedicinebyAlexandrosSfakianakis via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1Nt5ZSO
via IFTTT