Laserinduced thermotherapy application in treatment benign nodular thyroid pathology

Abstract

Results of the treatment laserinduced thermotherapy (LITT) of 107 patients with benign thyroid nodules. The average volume of nodes before and after treatment was reduced from 5.0 cm 3 to 2.8 cm 3 (44%). Of nod ules up to 1 cm 3 average volume decreased by more than 60%. Among large nodules larger than 8 cm 3 aver age decreased only slightly more than 40%. Among the nodes up to 1 cm 3 after LITT most decreased by more than 50% (19 of 33), 8 of them (24.2%) decreased by more than 75%, 6 (18.3%) nodes have disap peared completely. Among the nodes of 2.1 cm 3, more than half also fell by more than 50% (17 of 29), of which more than 75% – 6 knots (20.7%). Of nodules more than 4 cm 3 was not a single node, which would decrease in volume by more than 75%. However, most of them fell by more than 25%. There was a statisti cally significant difference according to volume reduction of the number of node points of the laser action. Three patients (2.8%) had a small burn the skin at the puncture needle. LITT method benign thyroid nodules is high, because overwhelmingly majority of cases leads to either the disappearance or significant reduction of thyroid nodules.

Keywords

• goiter
• laserinduced thermotherapy