Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Literature Review

Background: Benign thyroid nodules are the most common thyroid disorders in the world. Ninety percent of thyroid nodule cases found in the hospital are benign nodules. In the case of benign thyroid nodules, it is difficult to determine the appropriate balance between the risks and benefits of surgical therapy as a curative approach, whereas an approach with suppressive therapy reports unsatisfactory results and requires a long treatment time. Another alternative therapy for benign thyroid nodules is radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy, which is used for benign thyroid nodules with clear and solitary nodule margins. Although several studies have shown that RFA is a safe technique, there are some associated complications, which are minor. Therefore, reviewing the literatures is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of RFA in reducing the size of benign thyroid nodules and the complications that occur. Methods: This study aims to conduct a literature review on RFA therapy for benign thyroid nodules. Literature searching was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Result: Based on a review of 27 literature, RFA can effectively reduce the size of benign thyroid nodules by up to 80% within 6 – 12 months of initial therapy. After the RFA procedure, it was reported that 83% of patients had no complications and 16.1% of patients experienced mild-moderate complications that were reversible. Conclusion: RFA can effectively reduce the size of benign thyroid nodules, and RFA has a good safety profile in treating benign thyroid nodules.