The efficacy of OK-432 sclerotherapy on thyroglossal duct cyst and the influence on a subsequent surgical procedure

Abstract

Background: Although there are studies regarding the efficacy of OK-432 sclerotherapy on thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC), its effects on surgical procedure following this therapy have not been properly described.Objectives: The present study aimed to delineate the prognostic factors of OK-432 sclerotherapy in patients with TDC and investigate its influence on subsequent surgical procedure and the histological characteristics in patients with poor response to OK-432 sclerotherapy.Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 20 TDC patients treated with OK-432 sclerotherapy.Results: Of the 20 patients, OK-432 sclerotherapy was effective in 5 patients (25.0%). OK-432 showed a lower effective rate in multilocular cysts (9.1%) than in unilocular cysts (44.4%), although not significantly. Five cases were treated with surgery following OK-432 sclerotherapy. There was no significant difference in the operating time and the amount of bleeding between patients with and without OK-432 sclerotherapy. From the results of the histological examination of the cyst wall, two cases had stratified squamous epithelium and two cases showed the absence of lymphocyte infiltration.Conclusion and significance: OK-432 sclerotherapy is an acceptable initial treatment for TDC, especially in unilocular cysts, because of lack of influence on surgical procedure.