With the change of people’s health concept, annual health checkups have become a guarantee for the people to maintain their health. Ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland has become an indispensable part of health checkups. Many people’s thyroid ultrasound results indicate one kind of “abnormality” or another, and some friends are even very worried if there is a “big problem” with the thyroid. So how do you interpret a thyroid test report from your doctor? 1, what is a thyroid nodule thyroid nodules, thyroid masses (lumps), thyroid occupancy and so on are described as structures found by the ultrasonographer that are different from normal thyroid tissue, these are just some morphological descriptions, that is, the doctor found a “small thing” on the thyroid gland, as to what it is, you can not be nervous. There is no need to be nervous, because most of the so-called nodules are benign. You don’t have to worry about a “nodule” on your thyroid because the doctor’s detailed description of the nodule is the best way to judge the nature of the nodule. The size of the nodule is an important part of a doctor’s description of the nature of a thyroid nodule, but since most thyroid nodules are not round, the angle and direction of measurement may vary from doctor to doctor and may be different from hospital to hospital. There is no need to get hung up on why the size of the thyroid nodule varies. It makes more sense to repeat the ultrasound examination at the same hospital a few months apart to observe any changes in the size of the nodule. It should be noted that the size of thyroid malignancy is often constant, so it needs to be judged in conjunction with other indicators. What is meant by unclear border of thyroid nodules? The so-called clear border or unclear border is a doctor’s judgment of whether the nodule has an envelope or not. The so-called unclear boundary is like the effect of a drop of ink on rice paper, which often indicates that the nodule is more active and the cells have the tendency to infiltrate outward, which is a very crucial indicator for clinical judgment of the nature of the tumor. Compared with the size of nodules, nodules with unclear borders may have higher malignancy and need to be closely monitored. 4. What is calcification? Calcification is a very important clinical feature of thyroid nodules. If ultrasound suggests fine dotted or sandy calcification, especially combined with unclear borders, part of it suggests that the nodules are malignant. Notably, coarse calcifications were previously thought to be characteristic of benign nodules, but in recent years they have also been eventually diagnosed as malignant. Therefore, thyroid nodules with combined calcifications should be actively managed. 5. What is colloid retention There are often reports of colloid retention, which is a kind of “water bubble” in the process of thyroid hormone synthesis and is expressed as “strong echogenic crystals” by ultrasound, not a tumor at all. Therefore, even if there is about 1cm of glial retention, long-term follow-up is sufficient and no further treatment is needed. 6.What is cystic nodule? The cystic formation of cystic nodule is caused by the rapid growth of thyroid tumor and intra-tumor bleeding. Therefore, the solid part is the tumor itself and the cystic part is the liquefied blood. In general, most cystic nodules are benign and even if they grow rapidly, they are merely caused by intratumoral hemorrhage. Small cystic nodules do not require surgery. Only larger cystic nodules (more than 2 cm) or cystic nodules with solid components having malignant features need to be treated. This is a more precise expression of “echogenicity”, which is the expression of uneven texture of thyroid tissue, often associated with thyroid inflammation, but diffuse lesions with rapid growth of nodule volume should be taken seriously. When reading the report after a physical examination, healthy people often do not understand the meaning of the TI-RADS grading in thyroid ultrasound diagnosis, so I would like to explain the different grades and how to deal with each grade, so that you can read the report and treat your situation accordingly. Tests or other imaging examinations Grade 1 negative (normal thyroid, or cystic nodules <5mm in diameter) < Routine follow-up Grade 2 benign findings Routine follow-up Grade 3 probable benign findings (malignant probability <5%) < Short-term review (3-6 months) 4A low suspicion of malignancy (malignant probability 5-45%) Puncture biopsy or review every 3 months is recommended. Surgical treatment is feasible for those with high psychological stress 4B moderate suspicion of malignancy (malignant probability 45-75%) puncture biopsy or surgical excision is recommended 4C high suspicion of malignancy (malignant probability 75-95%) surgical excision is recommended 5 grade typical malignant signs (malignant probability >95%) surgical excision is recommended for suspected metastatic lymph nodes in the neck 6 grade biopsy has been performed and surgical excision is diagnosed in malignant cases. The most important elements of the ultrasound report on the thyroid gland are the size of the nodule, the clarity of the border and the presence of punctate calcifications. This is the basis for the ultrasonographer to determine the TI-RADS of the thyroid nodule, and the clinician will make the next treatment plan based on the grading, combined with puncture cytology and pathological examination for surgical resection. We would like to remind you that you must go to a regular specialized hospital and see an experienced doctor for thyroid ultrasound examination to improve the detection rate and early intervention of thyroid cancer.