Non-Surgical Thyroid Nodule Treatments

Many people are wary of thyroid surgery because it leaves a permanent incision in the neck, requires patients to take synthetic hormones, often for life, and carries risks associated with anesthesia. Consequently, some patients' nodules can grow to very large sizes without treatment. Indeed, the practice of inflicting all these side effects and risks on a benign nodule is a questionable approach in modern medicine.

New non-surgical treatment methods (percutaneous ablation methods) have been developed for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. The word "percutaneous" means entering the skin with a needle, while "ablation" means vaporizing the nodule with heat. With this method, no incision is made; treatment is performed through a single needle puncture. Percutaneous ablation methods are a very good alternative to surgery, and experienced interventional radiologists in our country successfully perform non-surgical thyroid nodule treatments (percutaneous ablation).

In this method, various needles are inserted into the nodule under local anesthesia and ultrasound guidance, and the nodule is destroyed by heating it with laser, radiofrequency, or microwave energy (thermal ablation). The main thermal ablation methods for thyroid nodules are RF Ablation, Microwave Ablation, and Laser Ablation. The first method of choice for cystic (fluid-containing) nodules is treatment with alcohol injection (Chemical ablation/Ethanol Ablation). Following this painless and scalpel-free thyroid nodule treatment using modern methods, patients can return to their normal lives within a few hours.

Furthermore, non-surgical treatment eliminates the need for lifelong synthetic thyroid hormone use. Therefore, modern, non-surgical methods should be the first choice for benign nodules. Conventional surgical treatments should be used as a second step if necessary.

Percutaneous ablation is very similar to a thyroid biopsy. In a biopsy, we insert a needle into the nodule, extract cells, and then remove them. However, in ablation therapy, we use a special needle. After local anesthesia, we apply heat to the thyroid nodule, causing it to evaporate. In experienced hands, this treatment is quite safe, and patients can immediately return to their normal lives and walk out of the hospital.