ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Journal of Radiological Review 2020 January-February;7(1):5-11

DOI: 10.23736/S2723-9284.20.00247-8

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Radiofrequency ablation of benign thyroid nodules: one-year follow-up after a single treatment

Alberigo MARTINO ¹ ✉, Emilio FIORE ², Emerico M. MAZZA ¹, Stefana MINICHIELLO ³, Ruggero IANDOLI ⁴, Massimiliano IPPOLITO PETRILLI ⁵, Lanfranco MUSTO ⁶

¹ Operative Unit of Radiology, Sant’Ottone Frangipane Ariano Irpino Hospital, Avellino, Italy; ² Operative Unit of Endocrinology 1, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy; ³ Operative Unit of Cardiology, Sant’Ottone Frangipane Ariano Irpino Hospital, Avellino, Italy; ⁴ Operative Unit of General Surgery, Sant’Ottone Frangipane Ariano Irpino Hospital, Avellino, Italy; ⁵ MIUR, Rome, Italy; ⁶ Operative Unit of Radiology, G. Criscuoli Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi Avellino Hospital, Avellino, Italy

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has played a particularly important role in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a single RFA treatment.
METHODS: Twenty patients with normal thyroid function, single benign nodule, presence of symptoms or aesthetic discomfort were enrolled. In all patients the volume of thyroid nodules was evaluated before and after RFA treatment. The trend of the symptomatic and cosmetic score was also evaluated.
RESULTS: The median basal volume of the nodules was 11.5 mL (25th-75th percentile=4.1-15.0 mL); 9 nodules were between 1 and 10 mL in size, 10 were between 11 and 20 mL and one nodule was 84 mL. In all the treated nodules there was a marked size reduction (12 months after RFA median volume of 3.2 mL, 25th-75th percentile=0.9 -7.0 mL, P<0.05). The reduction in volume was largely achieved at 3 months (median 60.8%, 25th-75th percentile=43.6-65.6%). When the nodules were subdivided according to the pre-treatment volume in the two subgroups 1-10 mL and 11-20 mL the reduction of volume proceeded with the same trend in large and small nodules. In all patients there was a significant improvement in the symptomatic and cosmetic score after treatment. Thyroid function remained normal after treatment and there were no complications.
CONCLUSIONS: The RFA treatment of thyroid nodules proved to be safe and effective.

KEY WORDS: Thyroid nodule; Radiofrequency ablation; Ultrasonography