Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol injection in papillary thyroid cancer metastatic lymph-nodes

Endocrine. 2014 Nov;47(2):648-51. doi: 10.1007/s12020-014-0215-0. Epub 2014 Mar 8.

Abstract

Post-operative neck nodal metastases are detected in 9-20 % of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Ultrasound-guided ethanol injection (UPEI) has been used with promising results in the treatment of PTC patients with limited number of lymph-node metastases.

Clinical case: We report the imaging and biochemical documentation of UPEI results in four metastatic neck lymph-nodes of papillary thyroid-cancer. A significant reduction both in the diameter of the lymph-nodes and in the serum thyroglobulin levels were observed in all cases and have been reported in a step-by-step sequence.

Conclusion: the UPEI treatment is a simple and suitable tool for the treatment of PTC cervical lymph-node metastases.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Carcinoma, Papillary / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Papillary / pathology
  • Ethanol / administration & dosage
  • Ethanol / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymphatic Metastasis / pathology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neck / pathology
  • Thyroid Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Thyroid Neoplasms / pathology
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Ultrasonography, Interventional*

Substances

  • Ethanol