Novel treatment of thyroid nodules in children

  The right of children to keep their beauty should be fully respected, and they should think long term when determining the treatment plan; 3. The significance of thermal ablation in the treatment of thyroid nodules in children is more obvious; 4.  At a time when thyroid nodules are highly prevalent, children are not immune. I often have the opportunity to deal with children with thyroid nodules because I am involved in ultrasound-guided thermal ablation of thyroid nodules. Most of them are primary and secondary school students between the ages of 10 and 14, but also preschoolers, the youngest being only 3.5 years old. There are also many adolescent patients who have actually developed the disease in childhood, only to go undetected. Although they are small, their thyroid nodules are not small at all, often more than 3 centimeters in diameter. Such nodules are considered to be of medium size for adults, but in children they are often more conspicuous. Some children have functional thyroid nodules, which means that they are already causing hyperthyroidism. I remember a 10-year-old girl who was found to have a functional adenoma because she was “irritable” and “aggressive”.  I had discussed with the thyroid surgeon that children like this used to require open surgery to remove the lesion. In fact, the surgeons were torn between the trauma of open surgery, the scarring, and the possibility of underactive thyroid at such a young age. In my database, there was a child with multiple, recurrent thyroid nodules who had two surgeries in just two years at the age of 8-10, leaving indelible surgical scars on her neck, but her bad luck didn’t stop there.  Since the successful application of microwave and radiofrequency thermal ablation technology to the treatment of adult thyroid nodules, I had the bold idea that thermal ablation technology could be applied to children with thyroid nodules. It is clear from the essential features of the thermal ablation technique that it is very beneficial for children, with minimal trauma, maximum protection of thyroid function, and no marks left on the neck. As we all know, children are not fully developed mentally and can only rely on their doctors and guardians to make decisions when it comes to treatment options, but when they grow up, they will have regrets about the scars on their necks and the medication they take for their low thyroid function. Of course, children have their own developmental characteristics, so we must follow the characteristics of their organism when performing thermal ablation treatment and adopt a different technical approach than adults, in order to improve the results of treatment with full safety. Over the years, our team has conducted meticulous research and cautious practice in this field and has gained mature experience. To date, more than 30 children with thyroid nodules have been successfully cured.  Another part of thyroid nodules in children is papillary carcinoma, even diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma of higher malignancy, and the vast majority of them are unaware of it. Therefore, the attentiveness and care of parents and guardians are very important. I once met a child whose grandfather was a doctor, and her thyroid nodule was discovered by her grandfather when she was snuggling and pampering on him. Such coincidences may not be so easy to come by in many families without a medical background. That is why it is not only necessary but meaningful for guardians to take their children to the hospital for an annual thyroid ultrasound, and without the side effects of radiation. Once a nodule is found, the nature of the nodule should be clarified as soon as possible, and a scientific treatment plan should be arranged to try to resolve the nodule in the child with thermal ablation ultra-minimally invasive technology to contribute to the child’s well-being.