Percutaneous thermal ablation for nodular thyroid diseases: an assessment of short-term effects

Abstract

Objective To investigate the short-term effects of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation(MWA) and radiofrequency ablation(RFA) for treatment of thyroid nodules.Methods Totally 104 patients with 289 thyroid nodules underwent ultrasound-guided internal-cooled MWA and bipolar RFA in our department from July 2009 to January 2011.The outcomes of patients were closely assessed for a short-term of 6 months;the thermal ablation-related side-effects and complications were also discussed.Results Focal ultrasound images of the 289 thyroid nodules and the core-biopsy pathology findings of some nodules revealed complete coagulative degeneration of the ablated lesions.Follow-up for 3-6 months showed that sizes of all the nodules decreased to different extents.Only one nodule needed an extra ablation.No severe complications were observed.Conclusion The ultrasound-guided percutaneous MWA and RFA are effective,minimally invasive,easy to perform and can achieve rapid recovery.The methods can be used for out-patients with nodular thyroid diseases.