At Diabetes and Endocrine Specialists, the RFA procedure is performed in-office with local anesthesia only. Patients whose nodules are filled with fluid (cystic) may not benefit as much from radiofrequency ablation. Instead, alcohol ablation, also known as percutaneous ethanol injection, can be used to drain the nodule and inject it with alcohol, causing it to shrink over time. This is a simple in-office procedure that can be done the same day as your initial consultation. If you have symptoms of thyroid nodules but don't want surgery, you may be a candidate for RFA and should discuss this with your endocrinologist.
Clinical trials involving ARF for benign thyroid nodules have shown a reduction in size from 51 to 85% in the first six months. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the Associazione Medici Endocrinologi and the European Thyroid Association medical guidelines for clinical practice for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules all recommend RFA as an effective treatment option. Several recently published studies comparing ARF with conventional open thyroidectomy (OT) in selected populations of BTN patients have demonstrated clinical superiority of ARF over OT, mainly because of its inherent advantages in faster recovery, fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. The purpose of this study was to present the results of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and a cost-effectiveness evaluation among patients with BTN who were treated with ARF in relation to those who received OT, also to compare the results of HRQOL and OT with data from the general population. This can be attributed to the lack of mature regulations of the FRG, the likelihood of additional treatments, as well as the costly procedures of the FRG. Thyroid radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a relatively new treatment that is successful in reducing thyroid nodules.
The thyroid gland itself is not sensitive to pain, and the skin and the surrounding area of the thyroid gland are anesthetized for the procedure. Thyroid ablation ARF is considered effective and successful when the nodule is reduced by 50% or more. Because patients were not randomized to undergo ARF versus OT, a propensity scoring model was used to compare the quality of life of BTN patients who were treated with ARF versus those who received OT. In addition, in order for the patient to be ineligible to undergo surgery due to high surgical risk of thyroid (deficient surgical candidates, drop in general anesthesia due to a medical condition, repeated neck dissection), RFA would be required. Most patients achieve positive results in just one treatment session with RFA; however, there are some patients who have very large thyroid nodules and may require a second treatment to get the best results and prevent them from growing back. At the Utah Thyroid Institute, the RFA procedure is performed in-office with local anesthesia only and with no increased risk of the procedure. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a nonsurgical treatment option that can reduce the size of thyroid nodules and restore thyroid function.
A one-way sensitivity analysis was carried out reducing the price of FRG by 10% and 30%, because as the technology develops, a highly efficient and low-cost FRG may be available in the future.
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