Abstract:Objective To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with ultrasonic elastography (UE) in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC). Methods Eighty PTC patients admitted to Union Shenzhen Hospital from January 2018 to January 2021 were selected as the research subjects. All patients were confirmed by CEUS, UE and pathological examination. The patients were divided into metastatic group (n=37) and non-metastatic group (n=43) according to whether the patients had lymph node metastasis. The UE elasticity score, elastic strain rate, CEUS enhancement characteristics and related parameters of PTC nodules were observed and compared between two groups to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of CEUS combined with UE in lymph node metastasis of PTC. Results There was no significant difference in elasticity score between two groups (P>0.05), and the elastic strain rate in metastatic group was significantly higher than that in non-metastatic group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in CEUS enhancement mode, inflow intensity and outflow intensity between two groups (P>0.05), but there was significant difference in enhancement type between two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in time to peak (TTP), mean transit time (MTT) and area under the curve (AUC) between two groups (P>0.05).The peak intensity (PI) in metastatic group was significantly higher than that in non-metastatic group (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CEUS combined with UE for PTC lymphatic metastasis were 95.7%, 92.2% and 93.0%, respectively and were higher than those by UEUS or UE alone. Conclusion CEUS combined with UE has good diagnostic value for PTC lymph node metastasis.