Treatment of autonomous thyroid nodules: safety and efficacy of sonographically guided percutaneous injection of ethanol.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the efficacy of sonographically guided percutaneous injection of ethanol as an alternative to surgery and administration of radioiodine, which have a higher risk of complications, for treatment of autonomously functioning thyroid nodules that may develop hyperthyroidism.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Sixteen patients between 23 and 67 years of age who had solitary autonomous thyroid nodules were included in the study. The nodules were detected and evaluated using physical examination, measurements of hormonal levels, sonography, and scintigraphy. Sonographically guided percutaneous injection of ethanol was repeated one to two times each week for a total of four to eight treatments. The amount of ethanol used was 0.5-9.0 ml per treatment, depending on the volume of the nodule.

RESULTS

Patients were followed up for at least 18 months. Clinical evaluation, including laboratory tests, showed that the patients' signs and symptoms subsided and hormones returned to normal levels in all cases. Scintigrams showed that the normal thyroid tissue that was suppressed before treatment regained normal function. Sonograms showed that the volume of the nodules decreased in 13 of 16 cases. No early or late permanent complications associated with treatment were noted.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that sonographically guided percutaneous injection of ethanol can be used as an alternative treatment of autonomous thyroid nodules with the aim of eliminating the possible risk factors of surgery and radioiodine. This method of treatment may be particularly desirable in patients who are poor candidates for surgery and who refuse standard treatment.