Benign Thyroid Nodule Laser Ablation

Surgery is the traditional treatment for thyroid nodules that keep growing over time and are associated with local symptoms. Yet, the direct and indirect expenses due to thyroidectomy and its long-term consequences, the risk of temporary or permanent complications, and the potential adverse influence on the quality of life are important concerns. Due to these considerations, a few image-guided minimally invasive procedures have been proposed for an office-based treatment of nodules that even if benign thyroid nodules are symptomatic or cause cosmetic concern. Among these techniques, US-guided laser thermal ablation (LA) is the most thoroughly assessed and is currently an easy accessible procedure in several thyroid specialized centers in Europe and Asia.