[Alcoholization in the treatment of thyroid nodule in colloid goiter endemic region]

Thyroid nodular disease is a common clinical disorder mainly in iodine lacking regions. This study has evaluated the effectiveness of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) in the treatment of single, multiple, solid, and cystic thyroid nodules of different sizes with or without glandular dysfunction, in goiter endemic region. Forty-two patients with diagnosis of colloid goiter or colloid nodular hyperplasia in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) were selected for analysis, after having been submitted to at least two PEI. Thyroid nodules were multiple (solid and or cystic) in 52.4% of the patients, single and solid or mixed in 35.7%, and single and cystic in 11.9%. The mean reduction of nodules after ethanol injection was of 58.2% in the single and of 60.8% in the cystic ones. The reduction of the whole thyroid lobe was evaluated in the multiple nodules and it reached 52.4%. The side-effects were registered only as a consequence of the application discomfort. This study points out that the percutaneous ethanol injection reaching volume mean reductions, varying from 49% to 60%, is a safe, effective, and simple method for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules.