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PEI is a low-cost and rapid technique, and may be
performed on an outpatient basis; however, a
strict set of indications should be observed:
- Thyroid cyst, in which PEI should be consid-ered
as the first-line of treatment, once malig-nancy
has been excluded by cytologic exami-nation.
- Pre-toxic or toxic thyroid adenoma (”hot nodule”);
the lack of radiation exposure, the risk
of hypothyroidism and nodule shrinkage
without surgery, make PEI especially useful in
the case of small nodules (≤ 3 cm).
PEI treatment for isolated solid ”cold” nodules is
still under investigation and more data are necessary
to establish its real efficacy in this condition.
For this reason we believe that PEI should be
used for treating cold nodules only in selected
cases in which contraindications to surgery or
medical therapy exist.
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