1. Laser Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Prospective Pilot Study With a Preliminary Analysis of the Employed Energy
- Author
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Debora Lucia Seguro Danilovic, Miriam Harumi Tsunemi, Aline Paterno Miazaki, Vergilius José Furtado de Araujo Filho, Ricardo Miguel Costa de Freitas, Maria Cristina Chammas, Carlos Alberto Buchpiguel, and Suemi Marui
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Hyperthermia ,Thyroid nodules ,Time Factors ,Ablation Techniques ,Pilot Projects ,Dermatology ,01 natural sciences ,Preliminary analysis ,010309 optics ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Laser therapy ,0103 physical sciences ,medicine ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,Thyroid Nodule ,Ultrasonography, Interventional ,Aged ,Laser ablation ,business.industry ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Hyperthermia induced ,Treatment Outcome ,Female ,Surgery ,Laser Therapy ,Ultrasonography ,Nuclear medicine ,business ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
To assess the effectiveness of ultrasound (US)-guided laser ablation of benign thyroid nodules (TNs) under different amounts of applied energy.Thirty-four euthyroid patients with 5-18 ml TNs were enrolled: 21 (laser ablation) and 13 (clinical follow up) patients with a mean age of 56.2 ± 12.0 and 54.7 ± 14.7 years, respectively. The laser ablation protocol used a 1.064 mm wavelength diode laser source; 3.5 W output power; 1,100-1,500 J and 5-8 min/illumination; and one or two fibers/session. Clinical, laboratory, and US data were obtained immediately before treatment and at 6 and 12 months follow-up and were analyzed by Student's t test and Fisher's exact test. Low- and high-energy subgroups were subsequently defined, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated.Laser ablation follow-up showed an overall nodule volume reduction of more than 50%; improvement of symptoms and cosmetic complaints (P = 0.001); and stable laboratory data compared with the baseline and control groups. Minor complications were 9.5% ( n = 2). One or two fibers/session resulted in a similar nodule volume reduction among 10-18 ml nodules. Analysis of the applied energy suggested a 398.8 J/ml inferior cutoff (ROC curve: 0.889 sensitivity; 0.545 specificity) for the high-energy subgroup ( n = 14, mean 599.9 ± 136.5 J/ml) to reduce the nodule volume over time (-55.1% vs. -58.4%, P = 0.55). The low-energy subgroup ( n = 7, mean 240.2 ± 74.6 J/ml) did not show a persistent volume reduction ( P 0.05) from the 6- to 12-month follow-ups (-56.6% vs. -53.7%).Laser ablation of benign TNs achieved technique efficacy at 12 months posttreatment, with clinical improvement and few minor side effects. A single fiber in a single session with a high deployed energy (398.8 J/ml) may be associated with improved results, a finding to be confirmed with a larger series. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Published
- 2020
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