In today’s society, the incidence of various thyroid diseases is gradually increasing, especially in this era where tumors are everywhere, thyroid nodules also make many patients “talk about nodules”, thinking that nodules are equivalent to malignant tumors. Experts say that thyroid nodules are a common disease and people suffering from nodules need not worry too much, but they must not take the harmful effects of thyroid nodules lightly and delay treatment, thyroid nodules can also bring great impact on life and may also cause “cancer”. Are all calcified nodules malignant? According to relevant statistics, more than 80% of thyroid nodules are found through ultrasound examination. What features in ultrasound report are helpful to identify benign and malignant thyroid nodules? Experts from the Department of Oncology of Fuzhou Air Force Hospital said that whether thyroid nodules are deteriorating or not, the first thing to look at is whether there is calcification in the nodules by ultrasound examination. Since calcification is present within about 80% of malignant tumors and only about 50% of benign nodules, calcification is an important sign of a thyroid cancer. Of course, not all types of calcification are indicative of thyroid cancer. Experts say that calcification in thyroid nodules is divided into three categories: “marginal calcification”, “coarse calcification” and “microcalcification”. “It is commonly found in nodular goiter and is a sign of benign nodules. ”Coarse calcification” refers to a single coarse calcification that does not show a thyroid nodule on ultrasound in the area of calcification and is commonly seen in benign thyroid lesions such as nodular goiter, hyperthyroidism, and other diffuse thyroid lesions. Many older adults have coarse calcification, marginal calcification, or calcified spots in the thyroid gland, mostly due to degeneration of thyroid tissue, inflammation, and malnutrition. ”Marginal calcifications and coarse calcifications are usually benign nodules, but you should be especially cautious of microcalcifications if they are detected on ultrasound. Microcalcifications” appear on ultrasound as posterior dot-like strong echogenicity with or without acoustic shadow, mostly calcification and fibrosis secondary to amyloid deposits within the sarcoid or medullary carcinoma. How to identify thyroid nodules by ultrasound If a thyroid nodule is found to be a hypoechoic solid nodule with microcalcifications, poorly defined borders, heterogeneous echogenicity, and blood flow disturbance during ultrasound examination, it will have a greater than 90% chance of being malignant. If enlarged cervical lymph nodes with abnormal lymphatic structures are also found, malignancy should be highly suspected, and if necessary, the diagnosis can be confirmed by direct surgery. If the nodes found are hyperechoic, with clear borders, homogeneous echogenicity, more cystic components and no abnormalities in the lymph nodes of the neck, the possibility of benign nodules is also more than 90%. It has been stated in the literature that almost 100% of purely cystic nodules and nodules with multiple small vesicles occupying more than 50% of the nodule volume and showing spongy changes are benign.