Theraclion says its Echopulse has shown improved outcomes when treating thyroid nodules when compared to surgical treatment, according to new published data.
Three studies – led byDr. Brian Hung-Hin Lang, chief of the endocrine surgery division at Queen Mary University Hospital in Hong Kong – showed the efficiency of using the Echopulse for non-invasive treatment of benign thyroid nodules and compared it to surgery, according to Theraclion.
The first study was a single-session high intensity focused ablation (HIFU) and studied the early efficacy, safety and voice quality as compared to an open cervical hemithyroidectomy. The study had 43 participants who went through HIFU treatment using the Echopulse and 103 participants who had surgical hemithyroidectomy. The results showed that there was a significantly lower occurrence of subclinical hypothyroidism, better symptoms improvement score, shorter hospital stays and better voice quality after one month in patients who had the HIFU treatment.
The second study focused on high-intensity focused ultrasound to treat symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. After a 12 month follow-up, patients who had the echotherapy showed that echotherapy leads to an average volume reduction of 68.97%, significantly better volume reduction, better symptoms reduction and an improvement in Quality of Life scores.
HIFU treatment rarely changed underlying thyroid functions, according to the third study. Thyroid function after treatment with the Echopulse was saved in 83 consecutive patients and after 3 and 6 monthsfollow-upss, none of the patients developed hyperthyroidism. Only 1 patient who previously had lobectomy developed hypothyroidism.
“These studies demonstrate that HIFU treatment is not only effective in terms of volume reduction of symptomatic benign thyroid nodules but also in relief of symptoms while being safe, said Michel Nuta, chief medical officer of Theraclion, in a press release. “In addition, these results demonstrate a very feasible alternative to conventional thyroid surgery, with significant reduction in nodule volume.”
The studies were published online in the journals Radiology and International Journal of Hyperthermia.
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