Assessing the efficacy of thyroid nodule radiofrequency ablation using patient-reported outcome measures

Radiofrequency ablation has recently emerged as an alternative treatment for thyroid nodules. Most studies are centered on volume reduction, whereas a few have assessed symptom improvement mainly with nonstandardized metrics. As experience in the United States is growing, we aim to assess the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation in treating benign thyroid nodules using the validated Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement for Parathyroid and Thyroid Disease.

This is a prospective study of a newly established radiofrequency ablation program at a single tertiary referral center in 2022. Patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation were evaluated using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement for Parathyroid and Thyroid Disease, a validated metric ranging from 0 to 100 at baseline, 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. In addition, a thyroid ultrasound was done at those intervals to assess size and volume reduction. Procedure complications were evaluated as well.

A total of 25 patients underwent radiofrequency ablation during the study period for a total of 32 nodules treated; 84% were female with a mean age of 51 years. The baseline mean nodule volume and largest dimension were 13 ± 11 mL and 3.4 ± 1 cm, respectively. A significant change in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement for Parathyroid and Thyroid Disease compressive score was seen at 3 months (38.9 ± 26.4 to 21.0 ± 21.4; P = .004) and 6 months (32.7 ± 19.9 to 17.5 ± 21.0; P = .02) but not at 2 weeks (41.0 ± 22.7 to 36.1 ± 21.9; P = .28). Significant volume and size reductions were seen at all 3-time points. Two complications occurred.

Our initial results of the thyroid radiofrequency ablation program find that it effectively alleviates symptoms by reducing nodule size in patients with symptomatic benign thyroid nodules.