Radiofrequency Ablation for Recurrent Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma at the Central Compartment Node: A Case Report

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common thyroid cancer with a good prognosis. However, local recurrence or cervical lymph node metastasis is frequent. Reoperation is a standard treatment but may be challenging due to the formation of fibrosis, cervical anatomy distortion, and the small size of recurrent lesions. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive modality for recurrent thyroid cancer in high-risk patients or those who refuse surgery. Here, we describe the case of a 41-year-old woman who underwent total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection because of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Follow-up ultrasonography 14 months after the second surgery revealed two abnormal lymph nodes in the right neck at level VI. She underwent RFA of the lymph nodes. Eighteen months after RFA, the metastasis lymph nodes disappeared completely.