Title
RFA and benign thyroid nodules: Review of the current literature
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
RFA and benign thyroid nodules: Review of the current literature
Abstract
Benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) are commonly found in the general population. They are usually asymptomatic and their incidence has increased as a result of wide-spread use of ultrasound. Benign nodules are typically monitored clinically until they increase in size, resulting in compressive symptoms warranting surgery. However, although surgery is generally well-tolerated and of low-risk, it is associated with a small risk for several complications including hypothyroidism, nerve injury, hematoma, injury to other structures and wound infection. Recently, newer image-guided ablation techniques including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have been introduced. RFA has a similar safety profile when compared to surgery and has shown promising results in challenging surgical candidates. Though several studies have been published in Asian and European countries on the efficacy of RFA, limited data is available on the North American population. The aim of the study is to review the current literature establishing the clinical outcomes and safety of RFA for benign nodules.
First Page
155
Last Page
165
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/lio2.517
Publication Date
Winter 1-9-2021
Recommended Citation
Muhammad H, Santhanam P, Russell JO, Kuo JH. RFA and benign thyroid nodules: Review of the current literature. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2021 Jan 9;6(1):155-165. doi: 10.1002/lio2.517. PMID: 33614945; PMCID: PMC7883624.