Published online May 20, 2022. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v12.i3.148
Peer-review started: December 22, 2021
First decision: February 8, 2022
Revised: February 27, 2022
Accepted: April 24, 2022
Article in press: April 24, 2022
Published online: May 20, 2022
It is important to make clinical decisions with the best evidence available, but the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) Ultrasound (US) Guide does not yet have sufficient evidence. Therefore it should be studied and evaluated whether or not it is useful in making clinical decisions during the initial evaluation of thyroid nodules.
The real diagnostic value and its usefulness in clinical decision-making of the ATA 2015 US guide should be known.
To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of the American Thyroid Association US system for the initial assessment of thyroid nodules.
A meta-analysis study of the diagnostic value of the ATA 2015 ultrasonographic patterns was carried out and this diagnostic value was used to evaluate, through threshold and decision curve analysis, whether it is useful in decision-making during the initial evaluation of thyroid nodules.
The results showed that the US guided studies had no diagnostic value for decision-making in selecting which nodule should undergo or not FNAB.
Physicians should continue doing FNAB to all solid or mixed thyroid nodules.
An alternative diagnostic method must continue to be sought, which resolves the question of which nodule should undergo and which not FNAB.