Objective: To report the results of treating 3 patients with a thyroglossal duct cyst by percutaneous ethanol injection and compare the outcome with the results of treatment in 17 patients with thyroid cysts.
Methods: The details of the ultrasound-guided injection procedure and the clinical course of the patients are presented, along with review of the literature pertaining to alcohol ablation for thyroglossal duct cysts.
Results: Percutaneous ethanol injection was successful in only 1 of 3 patients with thyroglossal duct cysts, in whom the diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography, during a 2-year period. During the same 2-year interval, 17 patients with a thyroid cyst received similar treatment. Ablation of the thyroid cyst was successful in all 17 patients, only 1 of whom required a second ethanol injection procedure.
Conclusion: Percutaneous ethanol injection does not seem to be as effective in treating thyroglossal duct cysts as in treating thyroid cysts. If the presence of a malignant lesion can be excluded, percutaneous ethanol injection may be considered a secondary treatment in patients with thyroglossal duct cysts who cannot undergo a surgical procedure.