Transcutaneous laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy of nodular goiter

Privalov V.A., Seliverstov O.V., Revel-Muroz J.A., Lappa A.V., Giniatullin R.U.

Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems X: Proceedings of SPIE; R.R. Anderson, et al. Eds. 2000. Vol. 3907. P. 278-288.

In the experiment on 41 dogs the possibilities of Nd:YAG (1064 nm) and diode lasers (805 nm) usage for thermotherapy of thyroid gland was grounded. We founded the regimes of laser irradiation causing local destruction of thyroid glands without damage of surrounding organs and tissues. An intratissue dynamic thermometry control in the thyroid and surrounding tissues and their histological analysis were used for determination of the operating mode. The thermometry was performed with the help of an original setup, specimens for the analysis were taken in the period from 1 - 3 to 130 days after the laser irradiation. The results of the experiments gave occasion to the use of intrathyroid local laser hyperthermia in the treatment of 15 patients with recurrent nodal and multinodal euthyroid goiter and 2 patients with inoperable (incurable) medullary thyroid cancer. The laser thermotherapy was fulfilled transcutaneously with ultrasonic control. No complications were registered during the irradiation and the nearest postoperative period. The dynamic ultrasonic examination of the patients carried out for 3 - 18 months showed a positive effect in all cases.