Identification and Differentiation of Thyroid Nodules by Acoustic Imaging and Viscoelastic Parameters

March 23, 2026 updated by: Mayo Clinic
This study is being done to identify and differentiate thyroid nodules by acoustic imaging and viscoelastic parameters.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Identification of thyroid nodules by vibro-acoustography - Determine detection rate.

II. Evaluate the specificity of VA in differentiating malignant and benign of thyroid nodules - Compare the result to that of ultrasound (US).

III. Assess diagnostic value of Shear Wave Ultrasound Vibrometry (SDUV) and Comb Push shear elastography (CUSE) in differentiation of thyroid nodules - correlate SDUV and CUSE results to pathology.

IV. Test and compare the results shear wave imaging with new FDA approved ultrasound device called SuperSonic Imagine Aixplorer.

V. Assess diagnostic value of Shear Wave Ultrasound Vibrometry (SDUV) and Comb Push shear elastography (CUSE) in differentiation of palpable and sonographically detectable cervical lymph nodes or non-thyroidal neck masses.

VI. Assess the diagnostic values of ultrasound quantitative microvessel imaging for differentiation of thyroid nodules and cervical lymph nodes.

VII. Assess the response to alcohol ablation on patients with recurrent thyroid cancer on thyroid bed or new lymph nodes on neck.

OUTLINE: This is an observational study.

Patients undergo ultrasound imaging on study.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

650

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Arizona
      • Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, 85259
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Arizona
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nirvikar Dahiya, M.D.
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32224-9980
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Florida
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Melanie P. Caserta, MD
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Azra Alizad, MD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patient volunteers ages 8 and up who are suspicious for thyroid cancer or a group of patients who have palpable and sonographically detectable lymph nodes or nonthyroidal neck masses or who were previously diagnosed with thyroid cancer and treated with thyroidectomy and recently diagnosed as having recurrence nodes on thyroid bed or on their neck.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • * Male and female patient volunteers ages 8 and up who are suspicious for thyroid cancer

    • Patients who have palpable and sonographically detectable lymph nodes or nonthyroidal neck masses and are referred to Radiology Department or Endocrinology for fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB)
    • Patients 18 and up who were previously diagnosed with thyroid cancer and treated with thyroidectomy and recently diagnosed as having recurrence nodes on thyroid bed or on their neck

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Because thyroid cancer is rare under the age of 8 years, children younger than this age are excluded from the study
  • Having FNAB or surgical biopsy on thyroid in less than two weeks for thyroid nodule detection group
  • Having FNAB or surgical biopsy on cervical lymph nodes or non- thyroidal masses for this group of patients

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Observational
Patients undergo ultrasound imaging on study.
Other: Non-Interventional Study
Non-interventional study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of nodules successfully sited by vibro-acoustography (VA)
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months post ablation, 6 months post ablation, 12 months post ablation
Successful nodule localization will be assessed by the review of the VA image relative to the nodule location information from the reference ultrasound (US) image (agree/disagree on location will be determined for each nodule).
Baseline, 3 months post ablation, 6 months post ablation, 12 months post ablation
Specificity of VA in differentiating malignant and benign of thyroid nodules
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months post ablation, 6 months post ablation, 12 months post ablation
Specificity of VA in differentiating malignant and benign of thyroid nodules will be determined by comparing the VA image to the US image.
Baseline, 3 months post ablation, 6 months post ablation, 12 months post ablation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Mayo Clinic

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Azra Alizad, MD, Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 17, 2009

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 3, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 11, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

January 16, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 23, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 08-008778 (Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board)
  • NCI-2023-10842 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
  • R01CA148994 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Thyroid Gland Carcinoma

Clinical Trials on Non-Interventional Study

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Greece

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe