A Definitive Step Towards Scarless Treatment for Thyroid Nodules

Modernizing Thyroid Care with Skilled and Exceptional Expertise

Thyroid health plays a crucial role in our overall well-being.

Of the 42 million Indians suffering from thyroid-related disorders, 8.5%-10% have visible thyroid nodules, and almost 20%-35% are detected through ultrasonography as part of routine health checkups. Out of these, 8%-10% are malignant (cancerous) while 90% are benign or non-cancerous.

Thyroid nodules often manifest with symptoms such as visible neck swelling, cough, difficulty in speaking, breathing, or swallowing, and pain in the affected area.

Awareness regarding thyroid nodules and their contemporary treatment options is vital for maintaining good thyroid health.

Individuals who suspect the presence of a thyroid nodule are strongly advised to seek consultation with a medical expert.

Effective management of these thyroid nodules requires the collaborative effort of Endocrinologists, Surgeons, and Interventional Radiologists. The usual perception of thyroid nodule treatment is surgery. However, there are modern techniques that have put conventional surgeries behind, offering a space for ablation or embolization to make inroads. These techniques offer numerous advantages as they are scarless, preserve thyroid function, and allow same-day hospital discharge. Ablation uses heat to shrink or destroy the nodule and alleviate any symptoms. Embolization can also be done to shrink large, multiple nodules by permanently blocking their blood supply.

Dr. Divyesh Dadhania and Dr. Saketh Rao, Endovascular and Interventional Radiologists at Zydus Hospitals, have been instrumental in spearheading these cutting-edge procedures. They have also successfully performed the first-ever thyroid and parathyroid ablation and embolization procedures in Gujarat.

According to statistics, thyroid nodules are more prevalent in females. One remarkable case was of a patient, Anita (name changed), a 41-year-old woman with a damaged recurrent laryngeal nerve from a prior thyroid surgery who had developed a raspy voice that continued to bother her. She presented with recurrent thyroid swelling that extended into her chest. She faced the prospect of another surgery, which risked damaging her recurrent laryngeal nerve on the other side, which could lead to lifelong breathing difficulty. She was provided a non-surgical option, thyroid embolization at Zydus.

She opted for it and was discharged within 24 hours of her admission. Her swelling significantly decreased in a matter of days, and she remains asymptomatic to this day.

Makena (name changed), an African patient, arrived with diffuse multinodular goitre (multiple lumps in the thyroid gland). Many of her symptoms like orthopnea (difficulty in breathing while lying down flat), a compressed and deviated trachea, snoring, and a persistent cough were related to her swelling.

Presented with the option of surgery or embolization, she chose the latter which alleviated her symptoms. Within 24 hours, she was discharged with normal TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels eliminating any need for further medications.

Another patient, Aashi (name changed), a 30-year-old engineer from the United States, presented with significant neck swelling and was recommended surgery in the US. However, she chose to undergo thyroid ablation at Zydus Hospitals, Ahmedabad. The nodule size was reduced significantly and she left within 24 hours with a huge smile on her face.

Dr. Dadhania and Dr. Rao have collectively completed more than 100 ultrasonography-guided ablation procedures at Zydus. The well-established interventional radiology department has a track record of delivering minimally invasive thyroid treatments, including thermal ablation, embolization, and sclerotherapy.

Endocrinologists also play a major role in these non-surgical procedures. They meticulously assess these nodules in terms of their size, shape, structure, and concurrent levels of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream. This evaluation determines the need for intervention.

Dr. Lakhani, a Senior Endocrinologist at Zydus and his team are spearheading an innovative project, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. They are also developing an AI computer vision model aimed at automating the classification of thyroid nodules based on these vital criteria. Notably, their recent presentation on this model's preliminary data at ITSCON in Kochi was acknowledged with the prize for the best paper.

Surgical interventions are required when thyroid nodules are complex, malignant, or larger in size. However, conventional surgeries involve making a neck incision that often leaves permanent visible scars. Fortunately, modern, safer techniques now offer scarless thyroid surgeries, providing the option to avoid any scarring.

Dr. Siddharth Shah, Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon at Zydus Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad, is an expert in minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. He pioneered a new scarless thyroid surgery using the Da Vinci surgical robot system in Western India. It is very safe, cost-effective, and requires shorter hospital stays and fewer follow-ups with quick recovery. Scarless thyroid surgeries are exclusively done at Zydus, and they have treated more than 50 cases so far.

One of his first few cases was of an entrepreneur, in her early 20s, who was advised to undergo open thyroid surgery by most surgeons, but she wanted to explore better options and came to Zydus, where she was presented with a scarless option by Dr. Shah. The surgery went successfully. And she was very happy with the results.

Another remarkable case was of a young female doctor from Chandigarh who came to Zydus after she got to know about the scarless thyroid techniques offered here. Her surgery went smoothly, and she was ecstatic with such stellar results and a shorter hospital stay.

As we navigate the landscape of thyroid health, advanced techniques and dedicated healthcare experts who focus solely on the patient's well-being converge to offer hope and healing, illuminating a path to a healthier future.

We are the pioneers in bringing this technology to Gujarat at Zydus Hospitals. We believe this could become the standard of care soon for benign nodules, as is in countries like Korea and Italy.