Advanced

AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kim, D. W. Articles by Lee, S. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kim, D. W. Articles by Lee, S. W.

American Journal of Neuroradiology 26:2122-2127, September 2005
© 2005 American Society of Neuroradiology

HEAD AND NECK

Percutaneous Ethanol Injection for Benign Cystic Thyroid Nodules: Is Aspiration of Ethanol-Mixed Fluid Advantageous?

Dong Wook Kim^a, Myung Ho Rho^a, Hak Jin Kim^b, Jae Su Kwon^a, Young Sun Sung^a and Sang Wook Lee^a

^a From the Department of Radiology, Masan Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Masan, South Korea
^b Department of Radiology, Pusan National University Hospital, South Korea

Address correspondence to Dong Wook Kim, 50, Hapsung 2-dong, Masan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We evaluated the differences between percutaneous ethanol injection with and without aspiration of ethanol-mixed fluid for treatment of benign cystic thyroid nodules.

METHODS: We examined 60 patients with benign cystic thyroid nodules confirmed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy and divided them into 2 groups according to nonaspiration (group A, n = 30) or aspiration (group B, n = 30) of ethanol-mixed fluid after intracystic ethanol injection. We evaluated in both groups the complete disappearance of the cystic portion of the thyroid nodule on follow-up ultrasonography (first follow-up ultrasonography; mean, 4.6 months in group A; mean, 4.4 months in group B) (chi-square test), side effects or complications during and after the procedure (chi-square test), and the total procedure time (Student t test).

RESULTS: Most patients showed complete disappearance of the cystic portion of the thyroid nodule (group A, n = 29; group B, n = 28), and they revealed no recurrence on follow-up ultrasonography. There was no statistical difference in the success rates between group A and group B (P > .05). Pain, the most common side effect, and other mild side effects or complications occurred in small numbers of patients in each group, but there was no significant difference in side effects or complications between the 2 groups (P > .05), except for intracystic hemorrhage (P < .05) and the complaint of all group B patients due to a double puncture (P < .001). The total procedure time was nearly double in group B than in group A because of the additional procedures, such as complete evacuation of the ethanol-mixed fluid and the 10-minute compression.

CONCLUSION: Percutaneous ethanol injection without aspiration of ethanol-mixed fluid seems to be the preferable method of treatment of benign cystic thyroid nodules from the perspective of both the physician and the patient.