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A Summary of a Study on Radiofrequency & Laser Ablation Published in PubMed
Five-Year Results of Radiofrequency and Laser Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Multicenter Study from the Italian Minimally Invasive Treatments of the Thyroid Group

The Background:

Thyroid Radiofrequency ablation, also known as thyroid RFA, and laser ablation (LA) are clinically proven new minimally invasive alternatives to surgical procedures. As these medical imaging equipment and procedures are relatively new to clinical practices, there are limited long-term follow-up studies. This particular study was aimed at evaluating the technique efficiency, rate of regrowth, and retreatment over five (5) years after RFA or LA procedures took place to identify predictive factors of the outcomes of these procedures.   

The Methods:

The methods used for the comparative study were the following:

You may read the more detailed information in the published study cited below. 

The Results:

The results of the comparative analysis were that Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation and Laser Ablation procedures significantly reduced benign thyroid volume that was maintained over a five (5) year period. 

A few miscellaneous, yet very important, facts from the study are:

Conclusion:

Considering all of the facts, you can see that the risk of regrowth and the need for retreatment were much lower after thyroid radiofrequency ablation. Moreover, the need for retreatment was more so associated with younger aged individuals, with a larger baseline volume, and treatment with low energy delivery. 

You can access the originally published Comparative Study here.

Citation:

Bernardi S, Giudici F, Cesareo R, Antonelli G, Cavallaro M, Deandrea M, Giusti M, Mormile A, Negro R, Palermo A, Papini E, Pasqualini V, Raggiunti B, Rossi D, Sconfienza LM, Solbiati L, Spiezia S, Tina D, Vera L, Stacul F, Mauri G. Five-Year Results of Radiofrequency and Laser Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Multicenter Study from the Italian Minimally Invasive Treatments of the Thyroid Group. Thyroid. 2020 Dec;30(12):1759-1770. doi: 10.1089/thy.2020.0202. Epub 2020 Jul 24. PMID: 32578498.

Disclaimer: None of the information posted is intended as medical, legal, or business advice, or advice about reimbursement for health care services. 

Related Categories: Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation