Validation of the New Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) From 2017 Risk Assessment of Thyroid Nodules in Comparison to the American Thyroid Association (ATA) Guidelines From 2015

Thyroid nodules are common, with up to 68% of adults having them. These nodules can be either harmless or cancerous. Ultrasound scans and a procedure called Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) are used to determine the nature of these nodules. There are different guidelines to help predict the risk of thyroid nodules, including the American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines and the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) from the American College of Radiology (ACR). This study aims to compare the effectiveness of the TIRADS ACR 2017 risk assessment system with the ATA guidelines in predicting the risk of thyroid nodules. In this study, all patients over 18 years old who are referred for thyroid nodule FNA from outpatient and inpatient clinics will be included. The nodule chosen for FNA will be based on both the TIRADS ACR criteria and the ATA risk criteria. If there is a disagreement between the two methods, the FNA will still be performed. Data will be collected and the results of the risk assessment from both methods will be compared to the results from the FNA, which is considered the gold standard for identifying malignancy. The accuracy of each method will be calculated.