[babs]

#1018807

I am wondering if thyroid arterial embolization was discussed at the recent NGDF conference? Looks like this procedure, where the blood supply to the thyroid is blocked, was/is done successfully in China. Why hasn’t this ever been offered as a treatment in the US? It sounds like it is minimally invasive and without side effects. What am I missing here?! Were any other new, less invasive procedures for treating hyperthyroidism discussed at the conference?

[Bobbi]

#1067250

I wasn’t at the conference, so one of the folks who attended will have to answer that part of your question.

To address another part: there are no medical interventions with no complications or side effects. This procedure involves threading a catheter from the femoral artery in the leg into the arteries of the thyroid. Then a foreign substance ( something I believe was called polyvinyl alcohol particles — and my spelling is probably wrong) is injected into those arteries in order to block the flow of blood to thyroid cells. Patients are given local anesthesia to facilitate the procedure and drugs (antibiotics, steroids) to counteract side effects. Side effects in the study that I read were not life threatening, but patients did have other side effects (fever, sore throat, transient hypocalcemia (sp?) )despite the drugs administered. And several of the patients in the study had to have a thyroidectomy after going through the procedure because it did not help sufficiently. So, as with any other possible medical intervention for hyperthyroidism, the pros and cons of the procedure must be carefully weighed.

I have not been able to find out how many patients this procedure has been tried on. The study I read (published in 2002) had 22 participants, selected from people who could not tolerate the other, more traditional treatment options . So, while it may be a possible new treatment to choose from, I am not sure how soon it will become more widely used.

[James]

#1067251

Arterial Embolization has come up a few times over the years and yes it was brought up at the recent Graves’ disease conference although about 30 seconds of time was devoted to the topic. This is probably because this therapy is still considered unproven.

It was over 4 years ago (2005) that I spoke with one of the researchers who happens to live in my hometown. At the time there were less than 100 patients worldwide that had the procedure done. Although the results looked promising at the time, I’m not sure that any further studies were done involving more Graves’ patients or if there has been long term follow up with the existing group. At a minimum I would like to find out of there is some recent information about this procedure. I will try to contact the same researching Dr. that I spoke to 4 years ago and then follow up with Nancy before updating the board.

Thanks for your interest on this subject. It is always a good thing to keep informed on any new research and developments concerning Graves’ disease.

Take care,

James

[Author]

Posts