Long-Term Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Laser Ablation for Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Results of a 10-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 10-year efficacy and safety of laser ablation (LA) for the treatment of solitary papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods: LA was performed on patients with low-risk PTMC (diagnosed using fine-needle aspiration cytology) who refused or were ineligible for surgery between 2008 and 2011. Ultrasonography was performed to evaluate the ablated volumes and potential recurrences on the day after the procedure, as well as at 1 week, 1, 3, and 6 months, and every 6 months thereafter for 10 years. Computed tomography (CT) with contrast enhancement and positron emission tomography/CT was performed to evaluate local recurrences and distant metastases. Results: A total of 90 PTMCs in 90 patients were treated in a single session of LA, and the procedure was well tolerated by the patients. The mean follow-up duration was 112 months. By 3-10 months after the LA, all the ablation areas had disappeared or presented as scars. The disappearance rate was 100% after 12 months. Thyroid hormone and autoantibody levels did not change significantly after the treatment. Three patients experienced transient voice changes, but each recovered within 1 month. Additional PTMC foci were subsequently detected in previously untreated areas in five patients (5.5%) 17-56 months after the treatment. A metastatic lymph node was detected in one patient (1.1%) within two months of the treatment; however, it was determined to be an undetected cancer metastasis, rather than a recurrence. All the patients with recurrence underwent surgery, and there were no instances of recurrence after >5 years. Conclusions: LA is effective and safe for the treatment of low-risk PTMCs. A thorough examination of multifocality and lymph node metastasis status is required before considering LA treatment.

Difference in F-18 FDG Uptake After Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and Colonoscopy in Healthy Sedated Subjects.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the difference in fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in sedated healthy subjects after they underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy procedures. METHODS: The endoscopy group (n = 29) included healthy subjects who underwent screening via F-18 FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) after an EGD and/or colonoscopy under sedation on the same day. The control group (n = 35) included healthy subjects who underwent screening via PET/CT only. FDG uptake in the tongue, uvula, epiglottis, vocal cords, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, liver, cecum, colon, anus, and muscle were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in the tongue, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus did not significantly differ between the endoscopy and control groups. In contrast, mean SUVmax in the whole stomach was 18 % higher in the endoscopy group than in the control group (SUVmax: 2.96 vs. 2.51, P = 0.010). In the lower gastrointestinal track, SUVmax from the cecum to the rectum was not significantly different between the two groups, whereas SUVmax in the anus was 20 % higher in the endoscopy group than in the control group (SUVmax: 4.21 vs. 3.50, P = 0.002). SUVmax in the liver and muscle was not significantly different between the two groups. Mean volume of the stomach and mean cross section of the colon was significantly higher in the endoscopy group than in the control group (stomach: 313.28 cm3 vs. 209.93 cm3, P < 0.001, colon: 8.82 cm2 vs. 5.98 cm2, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EGD and colonoscopy under sedation does not lead to significant differences in SUVmax in most parts of the body. Only gastric FDG uptake in the EGD subjects and anal FDG uptake in the colonoscopy subjects was higher than uptake in those regions in the control subjects.

Incompletely dissolved radioiodine capsule as a likely cause of false-positive whole-body scan in thyroid cancer.

Radioiodine is highly specific for detecting functioning thyroid tissue in the body. However, an unexpected radioiodine uptake can cause various false-positive results in whole-body scanning. We report a case of a 47-year-old woman who showed strong and focal uptake in the right pelvic area suggesting metastasis on the posttreatment whole-body scan. SPECT/CT revealed that the uptake was located in the colon, and the uptake was completely egested after additional bowel preparation.