TABLE 1.
Demographic characteristics of the patients and laboratory parameters at the first examination
| Group | A (N = 36) | B (N = 41) | C (N = 28) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age [years] | 46.5 ± 15.8 | 51.2 ± 17.4 | 65.8 ± 13.7 | < 0.001 |
| Sex [F/M; % female] | 20/16 (56%) | 28/13 (68%) | 21/7 (75%) | 0.33 |
| TSH [mIU/L] | 1.59 ± 1.0 | 1.61 ± 0.9 | 2.46 ± 2.5 | 0.43 |
| fT4 [pmol/L] | 15.14 ± 1.9 | 15.22 ± 2.2 | 14.44 ± 2.9 | 0.33 |
| fT3 [pmol/L] | 5.06 ± 0.6 | 5.24 ± 0.4 | 4.97 ± 0.5 | 0.04 |
| Positive antiTg antibodies [%] | 17.2 | 5.6 | 12.0 | 0.07 |
| Positive antiTPO antibodies [%] | 12.5 | 2.8 | 8.0 | 0.32 |
| Tg [μg/L] | 61.55 ± 127.4 | 493.92 ± 2020.0 | 26.13 ± 25.15 | 0.30 |
FIGURE 1.
Initial and final volume of cysts in three groups of patients with simple thyroid cysts (group (A) – treated with thyroid sclerotherapy with polidocanol; group (B) – treated with ultrasound-guided fine-needle evacuation of the cyst, group (C) – no treatment; x represents mean initial and final cyst volume for each group).
TABLE 2.
Initial and final cyst volume, initial and final largest cyst diameter, and relative and absolute change in cyst volume
| Group | A | B | C | p (A:B:C) | p (A:B) | p (A:C) | p (B:C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial cyst volume [mL] | 20.1 ± 13.8 (2.3-51.1) | 15.0 ± 17.8 (1.3-83.0) | 4.2 ± 4.5 (0,8-19,2) | < 0.001 | – | – | – |
| Initial largest cyst diameter [mm] | 41.6 ± 11.4 (23-62) | 34.4 ± 12.8 (18-65) | 23.4 ± 6.6 (15-47) | < 0.001 | – | – | – |
| Final cyst volume [mL] | 7.6 ± 12.1 (3.6-11.7) | 6.1 ± 10.4 (2.8-9.4) | 5.3 ± 7.9 (2.2-8.3) | 0.764 | – | – | – |
| Final largest cyst diameter [mm] | 24.5 ± 15.4 (5-56) | 21.5 ± 14.3 (4-65) | 23.2 ± 11.6 (0-55) | 0.491 | – | – | – |
| Average relative cyst volume difference [%] | a-63.5 ± 45.5 (-78.9 to -48.2) | -48.2 ± 81.0 (-73.8 to -22.6) | 8.1 ± 63.6 (-16.6 to 32.8) | < 0.001 | 0.318 | < 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Average nominal cyst volume difference [mL] | a12.5 ± 14.7 (7.5-17.4) | b8.83 ± 15.6 (3.9-13.7) | c-1.0 ± 4.0 (-2.5 to 0.52) | < 0.001 | – | – | – |
TABLE 3.
Percentage and absolute number of cysts with a clinically significant change in size according to the criteria of the European Thyroid Association (at least 50% increase or decrease in cyst volume or at least 20% increase or decrease in at least two cyst dimensions).4
| Group | A | B | C | p (A:B:C) | p (A:B) | p (A:C) | p (B:C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Significant decrease of cyst volume (%, absolute number) | 75.0 (27/36) | 68.3 (28/41) | 25.0 (7/28) | < 0.001 | 0.616 | < 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Significant increase of cyst volume (%, absolute number) | 2.8 (1/36) | 7.3 (3/41) | 39.2 (11/28) | < 0.001 | – | – | – |
| No significant change in cyst volume (%, absolute number) | 22.2 (8/36) | 24.3 (10/41) | 35.7 (10/28) | – | – | – | – |