Surgical and Pathological Changes after Radiofrequency Ablation of Thyroid Nodules

Background. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been recently advocated as an effective technique for the treatment of symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. It is not known to what extent it may affect any subsequent thyroid surgery and/or histological diagnosis. Materials and Methods. RFA was performed...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chiara Dobrinja, Stella Bernardi, Bruno Fabris, Rita Eramo, Petra Makovac, Gabriele Bazzocchi, Lanfranco Piscopello, Enrica Barro, Nicolò de Manzini, Deborah Bonazza, Maurizio Pinamonti, Fabrizio Zanconati, Fulvio Stacul
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:International Journal of Endocrinology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/576576
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been recently advocated as an effective technique for the treatment of symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. It is not known to what extent it may affect any subsequent thyroid surgery and/or histological diagnosis. Materials and Methods. RFA was performed on 64 symptomatic Thy2 nodules (benign nodules) and 6 symptomatic Thy3 nodules (follicular lesions/follicular neoplasms). Two Thy3 nodules regrew after the procedure, and these patients accepted to undergo a total thyroidectomy. Here we present how RFA has affected the operation and the final pathological features of the surgically removed nodules. Results and Conclusions. RFA is effective for the treatment of Thy2 nodules, but it should not be recommended as first-line therapy for the treatment of Thy3 nodules (irrespective of their mutational status), as it delays surgery in case of malignancy. Moreover, it is unknown whether RFA might promote residual tumor progression or neoplastic progression of Thy3 lesions. Nevertheless, here we show for the first time that one session of RFA does not affect subsequent thyroid surgery and/or histological diagnosis.
ISSN:1687-8337
1687-8345