High-intensity focused ultrasound for thyroid nodule ablation: the evidence to date

Abstract

High-intensity focused ultrasound for thyroid nodule ablation: the evidence to date Roussanka D Kovatcheva,1 Katja Zaletel,2 1Department of Thyroid and Metabolic Bone Disorders, Clinical Center of Endocrinology, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria; 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia Abstract: Thyroid nodules are common in occurrence and most of them are benign in nature. Some of these nodules are to be treated as they continue to grow or cause undesirable symptoms. Recently, several minimally invasive thermal ablation techniques have been introduced to overcome the complications of traditional methods such as surgery. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is the latest advance in treatment modalities, which is a noninvasive procedure that permits localized target destruction without affecting the surrounding tissues. HIFU is currently used in the treatment of various solid malignant and benign tumors. The purpose of this review is to provide an introduction to the literature, principles, and advances of HIFU therapy of benign thyroid nodules, as well as to provide a discussion on its efficacy, complications, and future. Keywords: thyroid nodule, high-intensity focused ultrasound, ultrasound guidance, ablation techniques