Service
Thyroid cyst: drainage, sclerotherapy and ablation
Short answer
Most cysts in the thyroid gland are safe; the safest are pure cysts (made up of fluid only). Cysts with a solid (mural) component in the wall are investigated and, if necessary, biopsied. Dr. Shirvan Zekeriyeyev drains large cysts that cause complaints such as choking and shortness of breath without an incision and without surgery. If a cyst refills, sclerotherapy or ablation can be used.
Schematic — not a real scan image
In the doctor's practice
- Type of cyst. “Cysts in the thyroid gland are usually safe. The safest type of cyst is the pure cyst. If a cyst has a component along the wall and this component extends into the cyst (this is called a cyst with a mural component), it is recommended to investigate it and, if necessary, to perform a biopsy.”
- Drain or monitor. The patient is examined individually. It is explained in which cases the cyst needs to be drained and in which it needs to be monitored, and the decision is made together with the patient.
- Sclerotherapy. In Gabala (Sağlam Həyat Medical Center), a large cyst in the left lobe of the thyroid was drained in a short time with sclerotherapy, without surgery and without an incision. The goal is to relieve the pressure symptoms caused by the cyst (choking, shortness of breath) and to prevent the cyst from refilling.
- Ablation. In one patient, thyroid tissue had regrown after surgery because there had been no proper follow-up. There was a large cystic lesion in the medial part of the left lobe of the thyroid, and it kept refilling even though it had been drained many times. With ablation, the patient was freed from repeated cyst drainages.
General information
in sclerotherapy, after the fluid is drawn from the cyst, a substance that makes the walls of the cyst stick together is injected into the cavity. Ablation is a non-surgical method that destroys the tissue of a cystic lesion that keeps refilling. Both procedures are used only for cysts that have been properly assessed beforehand and are known to be benign.
Q&A
Is a thyroid cyst dangerous?
Usually not. Pure cysts are the safest type. Cysts with a mural (solid, next to the wall) component, however, need to be investigated.
Does a cyst always need surgery?
No. Cysts that cause no complaints are monitored. Large cysts that cause complaints can be drained without surgery, and, if needed, sclerotherapy or ablation can be performed.