ArticleLaryngoscope investigative otolaryngology2024
Radiofrequency ablation compared to surgery for thyroid nodules: A case for office based treatment.
Article in Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Cost-Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation for Benign Non-Functioning Thyroid Nodules: A Systematic Review.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Thyroid function alterations after radiofrequency ablation in benign thyroid nodule management.Therapeutic advances in endocrinology and metabolism · 2026Article
- Radiofrequency ablation compared to surgery for thyroid nodules: A case for office based treatment.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: We aim to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for benign thyroid nodules by ENT surgeons and to compare it to conventional hemithyroidectomy in the public healthcare, operating theater contained setting. Methods: 50 patients who underwent a single session of RFA for symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in Prince of Wales Hospital and Tseung Kwan O Hospital in Hong Kong from 2020 to 2022 were evaluated. Objective outcomes including nodule volume, volume reduction rate (VRR) and complications were recorded. Subjective response in the form of a 0-10 point scale for patient symptoms including obstructive, cosmetic, pain and satisfaction scores were collected. Results: Significant reduction in mean VRR was found at 3, 6 and 12 months post treatment, accompanied by a significant reduction in the mean obstructive and cosmetic symptom scores. Comparing with conventional hemithyroidectomy, the RFA group had a significantly shorter mean procedure time and lower rate of complications. Estimated cost to patient for RFA was found to be less than half of that of hemithyroidectomy. Conclusion: RFA is a safe and effective treatment modality for benign thyroid nodules by ENT surgeons with advantages of being a scarless local anesthetic procedure with shorter procedure time, lower complication rate and lower cost to patient compared to hemithyroidectomy. In Hong Kong, where most of the population is treated in the public sector, there are limited resources, often with high caseload burden and long operation waiting times. Therefore, RFA is an office-based treatment that serves as a valuable alternative to hemithyroidectomy for benign nodules, especially in lower resource settings. Level of evidence: 3.
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