Radiofrequency more effective than laser one year after treatment. Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma collaborated with the Santa Maria Goretti hospital in Latina on the LARA study
Rome, 22 March 2021 - To delete the thyroid nodules, in addition to traditional surgery, it is possible to use thermal ablation techniques such as laser , radio frequency, minimally invasive treatments carried out through the release of thermal energy. The LARA prospective study carried out at the Santa Maria Goretti hospital in Latina with the collaboration ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma has compared for the first time ever the effectiveness of the two methods. The work was published on Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, one of the leading endocrinology journals in the world.
If it is true that both techniques are effective, as already indicated in the literature, the study LARA (Laser Ablation versus Radiofrequency Ablation) it was found that radiofrequency ensures a more significant reduction in the volume of the nodule after one year of treatment. The reduction of the nodule arrive at 70 percent in the radio frequency versus 60 percent for lasers. This reduction is obtained with a single session for both techniques, with quick and long-lasting results.
“Thermoablative methods represent the present and the future of the therapeutic management of non-functioning benign thyroid nodules. In expert hands, a single treatment session is able to reduce the starting volume of the thyroid nodule by about 70% with a low rate of peri- and post-procedure complications" said dr. Roberto Cesareo Director of the Metabolic Diseases Operating Unit and management of the chronic exacerbated patient of the Hospital Santa Maria Goretti of Latin.
The advantages of these procedures also derive from the low number of complications, From cost reduction and the ability to run them in outpatient regimen.
“The LARA study is the first in the world that has compared the two methods. We can say that both are effective with limited side effects – explains Dr. Andrea Palermo, head of the thyroid pathology service in the Endocrinology area of the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital - They can reduce the rate of surgical operations for benign pathologies. The nodules that seem to respond better to ablative techniques are solid or mixed ones with a predominantly solid component".
Furthermore, compared to traditional surgery, thermoablative techniques they leave no scars and keep the function of the thyroid gland almost always intact, which is why following their use the patient should not start replacement therapy with thyroid hormone.
I thyroid nodules are very common in the Italian population, can be single or multiple and are found more frequently in the female gender. The diagnosis of thyroid nodule has increased over the years largely related to the availability of diagnostic techniques (ultrasound of the neck, CT, MRI). 50-70% of the tests, also depending on the geographical areas examined, show the presence of thyroid nodules diagnosed with ultrasound examination.
More than 90% of these nodules are benign: most of them do not give obvious clinical symptoms and usually do not require any treatment. In a small proportion of cases, the growth of the benign nodule is significant enough to be determined compressive phenomena resulting in difficulty swallowing food or liquids, hoarseness or changes in the tone of voice, difficulty breathing and/or alteration of the aesthetic profile of the neck, treatment becomes necessary.
