Objective: To investigate the possibility of using morphometric changes in lymphoid cells in thyroid tissue as a marker of malignant tumors.
Study design: Morphometry of biopsy material was performed with a semiautomated, computerized image analyzer.
Results: Nine features were selected. These features formed the criteria for differentiation between malignant and benign disease. Equations for the calculation of a weighting coefficient for each feature and a diagnostic index were derived. The values for the diagnostic index for the groups with malignant and benign pathology differed significantly.
Conclusion: One can determine the presence of a malignant tumor in the thyroid gland from the diagnostic index value.