Purpose: To assess the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of refractory non-nodular hyperthyroidism.
Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study in 9 patients with refractory non-nodular hyperthyroidism (2 males, 7 females; median age, range, 36 years, 14-55 years) who underwent RFA between August 2018 and September 2020. The incidence of post-procedural complications, changes in thyroid volume, thyroid function and the use and dosages of anti-thyroid drugs, were compared pre- and post-RFA.
Results: All patients completed the procedure successfully, and no serious complications occurred. Three months after ablation, thyroid volumes were significantly decreased with the mean volumes of the right and left lobes reduced to 45.6% (10.9 ± 2.2 ml/23.9 ± 7.2 ml, p < 0.001) and 50.2% (10.8 ± 7.4 ml/21.5 ± 11.4 ml, p = 0.001) of the volumes within 1 week after ablation. The thyroid function was gradually improved in all patients. At 3 months post-ablation, the levels of FT3 and FT4 were returned to the normal range (FT3, 4.9 ± 1.6 pmol/L vs. 8.7 ± 4.2 pmol/L, p = 0.009; FT4, 13.1 ± 7.2 pmol/L vs. 25.9 ± 12.6 pmol/L, p = 0.038), the TR-Ab level was significantly lower (4.8 ± 3.9 vs. 16.5 ± 16.4 IU/L, p = 0.027), and the TSH level was significantly higher (0.76 ± 0.88 vs. 0.03 ± 0.06, p = 0.031) than that before-ablation. Additionally, three months after RFA, the anti-thyroid medication dosages were reduced to 31.25% compared to baseline (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided RFA in the treatment of refractory non-nodular hyperthyroidism was safe and effective in this small group of patients with limited follow-up. Further studies with larger cohorts and longer follow-up are needed to validate this potential new application of thyroid thermal ablation.
Keywords: Clinical application; Radiofrequency ablation; Refractory hyperthyroidism; Ultrasound guidance.
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