Predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma by vascular index on power Doppler ultrasound

Background: For patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), lymph node metastasis is associated with an increased recurrence rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), microvessel density (MVD), and vascular index (VI) can predict lymph node metastasis in patients with PTC. Methods: From January 2011 to October 2011, 202 patients with PTCs underwent preoperative staging ultrasound evaluation. To evaluate vascularity, we measured the VI, VEGF expression, and MVD. Results: The VI was significantly correlated with MVD (p =.009). On multivariate analysis, young age showed a significant correlation with lymph node metastasis (p <.001; p <.001; p <.001). However, the other clinicopathologic features, VEGF, MVD, and VI failed to show any significant correlations with lymph node metastasis. Conclusion: Although the VI showed significant correlation with MVD, it was not significantly correlated to lymph node metastasis.