EFFECTIVENESS OF PERCUTANEOUS ETHANOL INJECTION IN NODULAR DISEASES OF THE THYROID GLAND: 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

ABSTRACT Objective: Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) of thyroid cysts is not considered to be the standard of care in Kazakhstan, although thyroid nodules are highly prevalent. Patients with cystic nodules >3 cm typically undergo surgery with high rate of disability due to postsurgical hypothyroidism. Adoption of PEI as a standard of care will help reduce the number of unnecessary surgical interventions. The objective of this study was to assess effectiveness of PEI in patients with thyroid cysts and colloid nodules with 10 years of follow-up. Methods: A total of 257 patients were treated with PEI and have been followed for 10 ± 1.2 years. All patients had baseline labs (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] and free thyroxine [FT4] levels) and ultrasonography prior to the procedure. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) assessing quality of life (QoL) was performed 12 months after the last PEI procedure. Results: At baseline, all patients had normal levels of FT4 and TSH that remained within normal limits...