Figure 1
A. The local anesthetic mixture was injected to the subcapsular area for hydrodissection and subcapsular anesthesia (arrow). B. The transisthmic approach (arrow) was used to visualize the entire length of the antenna and to protect vital structures. Asterisk indicates subcapsular hydrodissection area and star indicates hypoechoic ablation area.
Figure 2
28 years old male patient with a solid nodule in the left thyroid lobe. A. Pre-ablative nodule volume was 52.6 ml. B. After ablation, the nodule volume decreased to 9.7 ml at the 3rd month follow-up and to 7 ml at the 6th month follow-up C. At the end of the 12th month the volume reduced to 4.3 ml D.
Table 1
Demographic and baseline clinical, hormonal characteristics of patients.
| PATIENT’S CHARACTERISTIC’S | |
|---|---|
| Age, Mean ± SD | 47.04 ± 9.34 |
| Gender/Female, n (%) | 15/65.2% |
| Pre-procedural Nodule Volume (ml), Mean ± SD | 19.04 ± 16.98 |
| Pre-procedural Longest Diameter (mm), Mean ± SD | 39.3 ± 11.3 |
| Nodule Location, n (%) | |
| Right Lobe | 10 (43.5%) |
| Left Lobe | 8 (34.8%) |
| Istmus | 5 (21.7%) |
| Cosmetic Score, Mean ± SD | 3.6 ± 0.49 |
| Symptom Score, Mean ± SD | 6 ± 0.73 |
| Hormonal Status, Mean ± SD | |
| Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) | 1.27 ± 0.64 |
| free Thyroxine (fT4) | 1.0 ± 0.13 |
| Triiodothyronine (T3) | 3.2 ± 0.38 |
| Antibodies, Mean ± SD | |
| Anti-thyroidperoxidase (anti-TPO) (IU/ml) | 7.5 ± 20 |
| Anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) (IU/ml) | 5.9 ± 8.4 |
[i] SD: Standard Deviation.
Table 2
Changes of hormonal status, antibodies, volume and clinical findings in follow-up after Microwave ablation.
| PARAMETER | PRE-PROCEDURAL | 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP | 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP | 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P VALUE | P VALUE | P VALUE | |||||
| TSH (uIU/ml) | 1.30 ± 0.53 | 1.46 ± 0.84 | 0.199 | 1.45 ± 0.89 | 0.538 | 1.46 ± 0.72 | 0.065 |
| fT4 (ng/dl) | 1.07 ± 0.21 | 1.06 ± 0.20 | 0.928 | 1.16 ± 0.23 | 0.050 | 1.14 ± 0.21 | 0.007 |
| T3 (pg/ml) | 3.23 ± 0.37 | 3.27 ± 0.40 | 0.086 | 3.26 ± 0.37 | 0.398 | 3.17 ± 0.38 | 0.732 |
| Anti-TG (IU/ml) | 6 ± 7 | 7.29 ± 14.01 | 0.652 | 5.19 ± 5.23 | 0.138 | 6.96 ± 9.01 | 0.192 |
| Anti-TPO (IU/ml) | 6.05 ± 6.20 | 6.03 ± 5.92 | 0.893 | 6.56 ± 5.94 | 0.139 | 7.12 ± 5.72 | 0.410 |
| Volume (ml) | 21.08 ± 15.29 | 10.63 ± 9.58 | <0.0001 | 7.20 ± 7.19 | <0.0001 | 4.16 ± 3.45 | <0.0001 |
| Longest Diameter (mm) | 39.35 ± 11.32 | 33.00 ± 9.02 | <0.0001 | 29.85± 9.14 | <0.0001 | 25.8 ± 8.54 | <0.0001 |
| VRR (%) | – | 49.88 ± 12.49 | <0.0001 | 65.3 ± 11.78 | <0.0001 | 79.06 ± 8.65 | <0.0001 |
| Cosmetic Score | 3.52 ± 0.50 | 2.45 ± 0.84 | <0.0001 | 2.15 ± 0.83 | <0.0001 | 1.92 ± 0.88 | <0.0001 |
| Symptom Score | 6.25 ± 0.74 | 2.42 ± 1.19 | <0.0001 | 1.47 ± 0.96 | <0.0001 | 0.95 ± 0.74 | <0.0001 |
[i] Data presented as a mean ± SD (p > 0,05 means there is no difference between the pre-procedure and follow-up.) VRR: Volume Reduction Ratio.