Complications Following Radiofrequency Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: This systematic review examined whether radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe treatment modality for benign thyroid nodules (BTNs).PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library database were searched for articles that (a) targeted human beings and (b) had a study population with BTNs that were confirmed by fine-needle aspiration cytology and/or core needle biopsy.Thirty-two studies relating to 3409 patients were included in this systematic review.Based on literatures, no deaths were associated with the procedure, serious complications were rare, and RFA appears to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment modality. However, a broad spectrum of complications offers insights into some undesirable complications, such as track needle seeding and Horner syndrome.RFA appears to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment modality for BTNs. More research is needed to characterize the complications of RFA for thyroid nodules.

SUBMITTER: Wang JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5455047 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature