Clinical analysis of ultrasound-guided thermal ablation in initial treatment of papillary thyroid cancer: report of eleven cases of reoperation

Abstract

Objective To summarize treatment experience of patients who underwent reo-peration after thermal ablation. Methods From February 2014 to July 2015, clinical data of 11 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent initial thermal ablation and reoperation were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent CLN, including resection of unilateral lobe with isthmus in 8 patients and total thyroidectomy in 3 patients, furthermore a patient received ipsilateral selection area lymphadenectomy. Method In the present retrospective study, 8 patients’ CLN were negative (72.73%). Also, residual papillary cancer tissues were found in 2 patients after ablating (18.18%). All patients were successfully followed up, with an average time of 7.8 months (3~18 months). No recurrence and metastasis. Conclusion Ablation therapy is not suitable for patients who meet the indications of surgery. Thermal ablation is not a radical cure for cancer. Thermal a-blation should be strictly regulated in order to guide the surgeon to determine the most appropriate surgical strategy for each patient. The present study shows reoperation may improve the prognosis. Key words: Thyroid Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Papillary; Hyperthermia, Induced