ABSTRACT
To investigate the value of injecting a small amount of absolute ethanol into the benign solid nodules of the thyroid before radiofrequency ablation(RFA)to improve the efficiency of radiofrequency ablation. A total of 98 eligible patients(98 nodules)with pathologically confirmed benign solid nodules who were treated in our center from December 2016 to February 2018 were included and randomized into ethanol ablation(EA)combined with radiofrequency ablation(RFA)group(EA+RFA group)and RFA group,with 49 patients in each group.Routine ultrasound,contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS),and thyroid function test were performed before treatment and 1,3,6,and 12 months after treatment.The general information,treatment time,ablation energy,ablation power,postoperative nodule volume reduction ratio(VRR),symptom score(SS)and cosmetic score(CS),thyroid function level,and incidence of complications were compared between these two groups. The mean treatment time [(441.30±243.31)s (790.70±349.82)s;= 4.403, =0.000],mean ablation energy [(3.92±2.01)kJ (5.15±2.12)kJ;=2.709, =0.009],and mean ablation power [(6.07±1.44)W (7.30±1.29)W;=3.612, =0.006] were significantly lower in the EA+RFA group than in the RFA group.At 3,6 and 12 months after surgery,the VRR in the EA+RFA group was(57.73±11.07)%(=-3.16, <0.001),(64.40±10.56)%(=-5.45, <0.001),and(77.29±8.48)%(=-10.46, <0.001),respectively;the VRR in the RFA group was(55.44±13.01)%(=-1.76, <0.001),(65.28±11.33)%(=-5.09, <0.001),and(75.17±9.84)%(=-8.93, <0.001),which were significantly smaller than those before surgery.There was no significant difference in VRR between the EA+RFA group and the RFA group at 1(=3.41, =0.33),3(=2.05, =0.21),6(=2.77, =0.49),and 12 months(=5.05, =0.10)after treatment.During the follow-up,no recurrence of nodules was observed on CEUS.In the EA+RFA group,the SS [(1.77±0.86).(5.54±2.15);=9.63, <0.001] and the CS[(1.39±0.77).(3.32±0.61);=10.09, =0.004]at 12 months after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery.In the RFA group,SS [(1.63±1.04).(5.90±1.79);=12.72, <0.001] and CS [(1.64±0.83).(3.15±0.72);=8.13, =0.012] at 12 months after surgery were also significantly lower than those before surgery.The CSS in the EA+RFA group was significantly lower than that in the RFA group [(0.93±0.55).(2.44±0.53);=-11.70, =0.007].Both groups had no significant change in thyroid function during the follow-up period,and no serious complications were observed. Anhydrous alcohol injection can effectively improve the efficiency of radiofrequency ablation in treating benign solid thyroid nodules and is effective in reducing nodule volume,alleviating compressive symptoms,and decreasing cosmetic discomfort.
Subject(s)
Humans , Catheter Ablation , Ethanol , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Prospective Studies , Thyroid Nodule , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Objective To explore the relevance between gait speed and muscle strength of lower extremities, or several kinds of physical functional tests. Methods 341 community-dwelling individuals (160 males, 181 females) aged 65-94 years were selected. They were divid-ed into suspected sarcopenia group (n=137) and normal group (n=204) by their gait speed less or more than 0.8 m/s. It was compared be-tween both groups with the basic physical characteristics, strength of iliopsoas, quadriceps, hamstrings and tibialis anterior, and the scores of One Leg Standing Test, Berg Balance Scale, Functional Gait Assessment, Functional Stretch Test and Timed Up and Go Test. Results The subjects were older in the suspected sarcopenia group than in the normal group. The difference of body weight, height were not statistically significant between groups. The strength of the muscles in bilateral lower limbs was not significantly different between both groups (P>0.05), while the gait speed positively correlated with the strength of iliopsoas, quadriceps and hamstrings (r=0.121-0.227, P0.05). Gait speed positively correlated with the scores of One Leg Standing Test, Berg Balance Scale, Functional Gait Assessment, Functional Stretch Test (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the score of Timed Up and Go Test (r=-0.502, P<0.001). The scores of all the tests were significantly different between 2 groups (P<0.05), except that of Functional Stretch Test (P=0.28). Conclu-sion Sarcopenia diagnosis is not only depended on the strength of muscle of lower extremity, but also their functions.