Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been around for a long time. Since 1931, it has been utilized to treat a chronic facial pain condition by a German surgeon, Martin Kirschner. Almost thirty years later, Cosman and Aronow brought the first commercial RFA machine onto the market, revolutionizing treatment for patients from hemorrhoids to heart arrhythmias. Today, thanks to the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) technology, patients with benign thyroid nodules can also benefit from this minimally invasive procedure. Patients with benign thyroid nodules can enjoy a symptom-free thyroid without the worries of surgical removal (thyroidectomy) of their thyroid gland and lifelong medication.
Radiofrequency ablation uses the thermal energy generated from a high-frequency alternating electrical current that oscillates between frequencies of 200 and 1200 kilohertz (kHz). The RF electrical waves then pass through a tiny electrode that increases the tissue temperature via friction.
During the Thyroid RFA procedure, the doctor inserts the thin electrode directly into the nodule under ultrasound guidance. The nodule is then ablated with a carefully controlled amount of energy flowing into the tissue. The heat ablates the nodule immediately adjacent to the electrode. The heat on the electrode’s outer rim is conducted slowly to surrounding tissue as it dissipates in intensity, with no damage to normal tissue around the nodule.
With sustained thermal energy, the result is immediate coagulation of the blood vessels supplying the nodule and irreversible nodular degeneration. The body’s immune system then cleans up the degenerated tissue, transporting it out of the body as waste.
Thyroid RFA is the minimally invasive treatment that many people have been longing for — preserving healthy thyroid tissue while target-treating only the benign nodules, saving thyroid function while avoiding the risks and long recovery times of surgery.
Save your thyroid, ask your doctor today about Thyroid RFA!
