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The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of minimally invasive methods, such as laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) and its combination with percutaneous ethanol ablation (PEA), in treating toxic thyroid adenomas. To determine the multiplicity of the LITT procedure and parameters of laser radiation to achieve a stable positive therapeutic effect. Materials and methods. Between 2020 and 2024, 24 patients with Plummer's disease who did not receive previous thyrostatic therapy before the LITT session were treated and were divided into 2 groups. Patients of the first group with a predominantly parenchymal structure of the node received LITT monotherapy (16 patients), patients of the second group with an existing cystic component received percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy followed by LITT (8 patients). Patients underwent ultrasound and hormonal follow-up after laser ablation at 2, 4, and 6 months. Study endpoints: percent nodal volume reduction compared to pretreatment volume (VRR), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine, free triiodthyronine, TSH-receptor antibodies. Results. All patients had a positive result of treatment. The average nodal volume reduction ratio (VRR) for patients in the first group was 88.3 ± 7.9 % (min — 71.5, max — 95.4), and for patients in the second group — 72 % (min — 59.5, max — 85.4). The percentage of patients in whom the euthyroid status was recorded after the first session ranged from 100 % for nodes of smaller volume (up to 4 cm³ ) to 63 % for nodes of maximum volume (up to 13 cm³). After the completed treatment (the maximum number of LITT sessions — 4), all patients had a stable euthyroid status. The effective specific energy for solid nodules is ≈ 900 J/ml, for mixed cystic-parenchymal nodules the specific energy is lower and ≈ 790 J/ml (for the volume of the nodule after PEA). Complications: one case of bleeding was recorded, and a moderate pain syndrome: 6 points on the Visual Analog scale. Conclusions. Laser thermal ablation of toxic thyroid adenomas under ultrasound guidance offers an additional safe and effective minimally invasive treatment option. Reduction of solid thyroid nodules is effective over time if the specific energy exceeds 900 J/ml (for the primary nodule volume). The reduction of mixed cystic-parenchymal nodules is effective under the condition of the effectiveness of ethanol, the specific energy for such nodules is less than ≈ 790 J/ml (for the volume of the nodule after PEA). The total energy for the course of treatment should not be less than the calculated (Е∑ ≈ Espec × Vnode). Clinical outcomes are significantly more favorable in small toxic adenomas than in large nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Performing thyroid organ-sparing surgery primarily aims to preserve the quality of life. Organ-sparing surgery should be understood as hemithyroidectomy with mandatory removal of the isthmus and pyramidal lobe of the thyroid (if present). The choice of one or another concept of prescribing hormone replacement therapy remains debatable. The purpose of the study is to determine the proportion of patients who do not need replacement therapy with levothyroxine after organ-sparing surgery on the thyroid gland, among those who were prescribed replacement therapy immediately and one month after discharge from the hospital, as well as to analyze the factors causing hypothyroidism in people with hemithyroidectomy. Materials and methods. The first group included 82 patients with hemithyroidectomy who were prescribed replacement therapy immediately after discharge from the hospital. The second group included 61 patients with hemithyroidectomy. The administration of replacement therapy was postponed for one month. A month after the operation, clinical examinations and monitoring of thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine indicators were performed. Results. After one month of observation, 72 (87.8 %) of 82 patients in the first group continued to take levothyroxine, and 8 (13.1 %) of 61 persons in the second group began to take it. In the first group, there was a moderate direct correlation between thyroid-stimulating hormone level before surgery and levothyroxine dose one month after (Spearman’s correlation coefficient 0.304, p = 0.009). It was found that the chances of continuing taking levothyroxine after one month in the first group were 47 times higher than the chances of prescribing levothyroxine after one month in the second group. The proportion of patients in the first group who continued to take levothyroxine after one month was significantly higher than the proportion of patients in the second group who started taking levothyroxine after one month (87.8 ± 3.6 % vs. 13.1 ± 3.5 %, p < 0.0001, Fisher’s exact test). Conclusions. Among patients who were prescribed hormone replacement therapy immediately after hemithyroidectomy, 12.2 % did not need to continue taking levothyroxine after one month. Among persons in whom the administration of hormone replacement therapy was postponed for one month after hemithyroidectomy, 86.9 % of patients did not require the use of levothyroxine in the future. The volume of the thyroid remnant ≤ 3.67 cm3 can be considered a predictor for hypothyroidism occurrence in the future, with a high risk of prescribing hormone replacement therapy. The study of such a factor as the ratio of the remnant thyroid volume to the body weight did not provide statistically reliable data for its use as a predictor of hypothyroidism occurrence in the postoperative period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The urgency of the study is due to the need to find effective methods for the diagnosis and treatment of medullary thyroid cancer. Basal calcitonin is a biomarker that determines both the presence of this disease and the level of metastasis. However, above-threshold calcitonin levels have a low prognostic value of the positive result. The study was aimed to analyze the importance of additional factors (besides calcitonin) in predicting the medullary thyroid cancer metastasis: age, sex, tumor focus, tumor volume (total volume). Materials and methods. A retrospective monocenter analysis was performed using the records of 194 patients treated for medullary thyroid cancer. The study involved 143 patients with primary forms of the disease. The required characteristics of the tumor were assessed in the postoperative period based on the pathomorphological examination. Results. The association between age and metastasis was not found, but a moderate relationship between sex and metastasis has been shown. The ratio of the chances of metastases detected in male patients is estimated at 3 : 1. It is proved that in the presence of tumor multifocality, the likelihood of metastasis detection increases. With an odds ratio of 2.368, the multifocal factor shows a weak but statistically significant strong association with the presence of metastases. Total tumor size is associated with metastasis. More than half (54.5 %) of cases are in the range of tumor sizes smaller than the selected cut-off threshold, with 16.7% metastasizing. On the other hand, the share of cases of exceeding the cut-off threshold (Cut-off = 1.9 cm; AUC = 0.703, Se = 0.745, Sp = 0.680) is 45.5 %, and metastasis is observed in 53.8 % of patients in this range. Conclusions. No association was found between age and metastasis. Male gender is a risk factor for metastasis. Multifocality is a risk factor for metastasis with a weak connection. The total size of the tumor is associated with metastasis with medium strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]