Ultrasound characteristics of thyroid microcarcinoma        PAN Fu-shun*，XIE Xiao-yan，LI Xiao-xi，et al. *Department of Ultrasound, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sun University, Guangzhou 510080,China
Corresponding author：XIE Xiao-yan，E-mail：xxy1992@live.cn
Abstract    Objective    To investigate the ultrasound characteristics of thyroid microcarcinoma. Methods    The ultrasound imaging of thirty-four cases of thyroid microcarcinoma confirmed by surgery and pathology between January 2003 and January 2009 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sun University was analyzed retrospectively. Results Thirty-two (94.1%) cases were detected as hypo-echo nodules. Twenty-eight (85.3%) cases were with irregular shape. Twenty-six (76.5%) cases were with irregular edges calcification. Blood flow was detected in 7 cases with CDFI and lymph node metastasis was found in 4 cases. Conclusion    Hypo-echo nodules, regular shape, irregular edges and calcification are the ultrasound characteristic. Comprehending the characteristics may improve the pre-operation diagnosis efficacy.