The new ultrasound technology of the First Hospital of DMD does not damage the function without leaving traces of thyroid nodules treatment to achieve ultra-minimally invasive Professor Che Ying is doing thyroid ultrasound examination for patients. Photojournalist Wang Bo “You don’t need to operate with general anesthesia for all diseases, some diseases can be treated with local anesthesia and minimally invasive.” This is the personal feeling of 33-year-old Ms. Yang. In early March this year, Ms. Yang was found to have a 2 cm nodule in the right lobe of the thyroid gland. Many people around her have had surgery for thyroid nodules, removing the nodule along with part of the thyroid gland, requiring medication to replace thyroid function after surgery, and leaving scars on her neck. In contrast, Ms. Yang was treated with a new technology called “ultrasound-guided ablation therapy for superficial thyroid lesions” and was rechecked one month after the surgery. Potential hidden dangers Benign thyroid tumors are prone to malignant transformation under thyroid inflammation Professor Che Ying, Deputy Director of Ultrasound Department of the First Hospital of Dalian Medical University, introduced that thyroid tumors are common diseases, among which benign thyroid tumors are the most common, but in recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer is also on the rise. In the past, the operating room could operate for one thyroid cancer patient a month, but now there is almost one thyroid cancer patient who needs surgery a day. Prof. Che Ying introduced that clinically, many thyroid cancer patients have been detected thyroid nodules two years ago, but they are mostly ignored by patients because this benign tumor does not have a big impact on their body. Thyroid nodules are a potential hidden danger. Firstly, the longer the nodules get, the larger they are likely to compress the trachea and affect the function of the lungs. Secondly, when patients are under stress and endocrine system disorders, the thyroid gland will develop sterile chronic inflammation, and the genes of malignant cell tissues are easily activated by this inflammation, on the basis of which benign nodules can easily become malignant tumors, and when cancer cells metastasize distantly, it will bring life threatening consequences. Therefore, patients with thyroid nodules must have regular follow-ups and timely removal if necessary. Indications for the new technology: 1. benign thyroid nodules (single developed 2cm, multiple and atypical hyperplasia of unlimited size) 2. lymph node recurrence after thyroid cancer surgery 3. papillary thyroid cancer with no lymph node metastasis seen in some early imaging Prof. Che Ying said that ultrasound ablation technology for benign thyroid tumors at the First Hospital of Medical University is a new technology first carried out in the three northeastern provinces. It is very effective in treating benign thyroid tumors (single and multiple) and postoperative lymph node recurrence of thyroid cancer, and it does not damage the function of the thyroid gland and leaves no scar on the neck, so it is very popular among patients. Ultrasonic ablation technology is an ultra-minimally invasive treatment method, in which a 1.6 mm diameter ablation needle is used to reach the lesion directly through the epidermis of the neck, and during the treatment, the tip of the needle instantly generates energy to inactivate the swelling in situ without any harm to the human body. The body itself has a “scavenger”, with the passage of time, the dead swelling will be gradually engulfed, and finally completely disappeared. Prof. Che Ying introduced that more than 70% of the thyroid nodules treated with the new technology did not leave any scars in the thyroid area when they were reviewed, which means that the ablated masses were completely absorbed by the body. The new technology is equally advantageous in the treatment of lymph node recurrence after thyroid cancer surgery. After thyroid cancer surgery, the rate of lymph node recurrence is high, and a significant number of patients have metastasis in the lymph nodes of the neck. According to the traditional method, patients need to operate again, or even need to do it three or four times. Due to the influence of thyroid cancer surgery neck scar and thyroid function tolerance, the surgery is much more difficult and the patient’s post-healing recovery is not satisfactory. Ultrasound-guided ablation technology allows these patients with recurrent lymph nodes to avoid another surgery by guiding the ablation needle to puncture into this lymph node under ultrasound guidance, activating the treatment device and inactivating the lymph node in situ. The advantages of minimally invasive treatment technology are as follows: firstly, minimally invasive treatment technology has minimal damage to the thyroid gland, especially no effect on thyroid function; secondly, it can avoid skin scarring caused by open surgery; thirdly, it provides a means of retreatment for patients with recurrence of benign thyroid nodules after removal. Benign thyroid nodules are often multiple and prone to recurrence after surgery. The adhesions, scarring, and anatomical disorders caused by the first surgery make it difficult to perform surgery again and complications increase significantly; fourth, it provides a feasible means of treatment for microscopic thyroid nodules. With the advancement of high frequency ultrasound technology, more and more microscopic thyroid nodules (millimeter level) that are difficult to palpate clinically can be detected. Minimally invasive techniques can treat tiny thyroid nodules that are inoperable due to the difficulty in locating the lesion during surgery; fifth, it makes retreatment of recurrent thyroid cancer after surgical resection easy. After surgical resection of thyroid cancer, recurrent cancer foci often appear in the residual glands or in the lymph nodes adjacent to the large blood vessels in the neck. The new technology has local in situ inactivation means that can be repeatedly performed, among which microwave and radiofrequency thermal ablation treatments are the most reliable and safe.