Table of Contents
What does a hypoechoic mass mean?
A hypoechoic mass is tissue in the body that’s more dense or solid than usual. This term is used to describe what is seen on an ultrasound scan. Ultrasound uses sound waves that are absorbed by or bounce off of tissues, organs, and muscles.
Is hypoechoic mass cancerous?
Solid masses are hypoechoic and can be cancerous. Cysts filled with air or fluid are usually hyperechoic and are rarely cancerous. Abnormal tissue also looks different from healthy tissue on a sonogram. Your doctor will usually do further testing if an ultrasound shows a solid mass or what looks like abnormal tissue.
What does hypoechoic mean on thyroid ultrasound?
A hypoechoic nodule, sometimes called a hypoechoic lesion, on the thyroid is a mass that appears darker on the ultrasound than the surrounding tissue. This often indicates that a nodule is full of solid, rather than liquid, components.
What is Birads III?
BI-RADS 3 is an evolving assessment category. When used properly, it reduces the number of benign biopsies while allowing the breast imager to maintain a high sensitivity for the detection of early stage breast cancer.
Should a hypoechoic thyroid nodule be biopsied?
Some authors suggest that hypoechoic, solid nodules larger than 1 to 1.5 cm with macrocalcifications should be biopsied and spongiform nodules and cysts need no biopsy.
How are hypoechoic nodules treated?
These type of nodules are usually solid rather than a fluid-filled lesion. If a doctor suspects that a thyroid nodule may be cancerous, they will recommend additional testing, such as blood tests and biopsies. The main treatment for cancerous nodules is surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland.
How often are hypoechoic nodules cancerous?
Most of the hyperechoic and isoechoic nodules are benign. The incidence of malignancy is only 4\% among solid hyperechoic lesions; it increases to 26\% for isoechoic lesions[23].
What is a small hypoechoic nodule?
A hypoechoic nodule is an area of swelling or abnormal cell growth on the thyroid. The term “hypoechoic” refers to the way the nodule appears on an ultrasound: dark. When a nodule appears hypoechoic rather than anechoic, radiologists know it’s likely solid and not liquid-filled.
Should I be worried about Birads 3?
BI-RADS 3 is strongly discouraged as a final assessment from a screening mammogram. Finally, BI-RADS 3 is not to be used as a category of uncertainty and should not be used as a safety net to place findings that a radiologist is unsure whether to pass as benign or biopsy.