Peng Q, et al. - Sixty-nine Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) patients with 85 thyroid nodules (TNs) (49 malignant and 36 benign) were analyzed to investigate the various sonographic characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinomas by using conventional ultrasound (US), acoustic radiation force impulse Virtual Touch imaging and quantification (ARFI-VTIQ) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Criteria included were the size, shape, margin, echogenicity, the presence of halo, calcification, vascularity, and ARFI-VTIQ and CEUS parameters for each nodule to compare the conclusions. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that ill-defined margins, microcalcifications, and peak intensity index <1 were independent characteristics associated with malignant TNs for their differentiation from benign TNs.