Thyroid nodules are a common and frequent clinical disease, and due to the advancement of examination technology, more and more of them are found. Many patients are hesitant because they are afraid of the surgical incision.
There is a lot of publicity about the treatment of thyroid nodules, but the hotter one is the “minimally invasive treatment”, which is also known as radiofrequency ablation. At present, some hospitals (especially primary hospitals) offer radiofrequency treatment for thyroid nodules (whether benign, malignant or even without pathology), which is called “ultra-minimally invasive treatment”, claiming that the mass can be removed by inserting a needle, without incisions or scars. So is radiofrequency ablation suitable for the treatment of thyroid nodules? Let’s take a look at the current state of treatment in the United States.
What diseases are treated with RFA in theUSA?
(What kinds of diseases are treated with RFA in theUSA?)
1. Cardiac Arrhythmia (sinus node disease arrhythmia)
2. LiverCell Carcinoma (liver cancer)
3. Renal Cell (Kidney) Carcinoma (kidney cancer)
4. Chronic Pain Control (chronic pain control)
5. Colorectal Cancers (colorectal cancer)
6. Musculoskeletal (muscle and bone) tumors (connective tissue tumors)
7. Pulmonary Nodules (lung nodules)
8. Barrett’s Esophagus (Barrett’s esophagus)
These are treated by radio frequency ablation (these diseases need to be treated by radio frequency ablation technique)
the RFA procedure for Thyroid Nodulesis not FDA approved in the USAs of 2015.
Radiofrequency treatment has certain indications in liver cancer, kidney cancer and colon cancer, but the FDA does not allow the application in thyroid swelling, especially thyroid cancer, which is not approved by the FDA, such as the useful radiofrequency treatment of thyroid nodules within the United States, which is illegal. On the contrary, some hospitals in the country? The propaganda is in full swing.
What should be clear as clinicians and patients is that
1. is radiofrequency treatment a new technology? The unit promoting RF describes RF treatment as a new technology, that is to confuse patients. RF technology was a very mature and routine technology in liver cancer treatment more than 20 years ago.
2. Is RF treatment minimally invasive? The surrounding thyroid gland is close to trachea, esophagus, large blood vessels in the neck, recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid gland, which cannot be damaged. Radiofrequency ablation is to coagulate the swelling and adjacent tissues, and if it cannot be absorbed, it will form a scar, adhere to the surrounding adjacent vital organs, and even affect the appearance and function (related to the scope of ablation), so the operator often sacrifices the scope of radiofrequency ablation for the safety of treatment.
3. Treatment of benign nodules Benign thyroid lesions with multiple nodules account for most of them, and nodular goiter is the most common.
Small masses (generally considered less than 3 cm) do not need any treatment and should be monitored regularly. In this case, unless all the thyroid gland is ablated, as long as there is a residual thyroid gland, it is bound to grow nodules again in the future, so what is the point of treatment?
For large masses, such as those near the trachea, esophagus, large blood vessels in the neck, laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands, one is that the effect of radiofrequency cannot be guaranteed (the range of radiofrequency does not reach the principle range of tumor treatment, so the treatment effect is naturally greatly reduced). Secondly, it will form scars and bumps, which will affect the appearance and function.
Both domestic and foreign guidelines and norms require total, sub-total or near-total excision of the thyroid gland, even for the smallest thyroid cancer, one side of the thyroid gland and the isthmus must be completely excised, and thyroid cancer requires routine removal of lymph nodes, which is impossible with radiofrequency treatment.
5. The prerequisite of thyroid lesion treatment is pathology. Many patients do not even know what they are suffering from after radiofrequency treatment of thyroid, so how can we talk about follow-up treatment and follow up.
6. So how do you think about radiofrequency ablation? It can be applied to elderly patients who cannot tolerate the procedure and other patients who have contraindications to the procedure.
Important note: Treatment of diseases should be based on norms and guidelines. There are no norms and guidelines for thyroid radiofrequency treatment in China, so we hope that patients will consult professional departments in regular hospitals and be clear about the purpose of their treatment in order to get the best treatment results.