Radiofrequency Ablation of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study
Open Access
- 14 April 2021
- journal article
- Published by The Korean Society of Radiology in Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
- Vol. 82 (4), 914-922
- https://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2020.0128
Abstract
To investigate the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) after > 10 years of follow-up. This study included five patients who underwent RFA to treat PTMCs (five lesions, mean diameter 0.5 cm, range 0.4-0.7 cm) between November 2006 and December 2009. The inclusion criteria were histopathologically confirmed PTMCs, a single PTMC lesion without extrathyroidal extension, no metastasis, and ineligibility or refusal to undergo surgery. RFA was performed by a single radiologist using a radiofrequency generator and an internally cooled electrode. We retrospectively analyzed the procedure-induced complications, serial changes in ablated tumors, recurrence, and local as well as lymph node metastasis based on data obtained from medical records and radiological images. The mean follow-up period was 130.6 months (range 121-159 months). Three patients underwent a single RFA session, and two patients underwent two RFA sessions. We observed no procedure-induced complications. Three tumors completely disappeared after ablation, and ablation of the other two tumors resulted in the formation of a small scar that showed long-term stability (mean duration 16.8 months, range 12-27 months). At the last follow-up, no patient showed recurrence or lymph node metastasis, and serum thyroglobulin levels were within normal limits in all patients. RFA may be effective and safe to treat low-risk PTMC in patients who refuse or are ineligible for surgery.Keywords
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