Introduction

Although radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe and effective treatment for benign thyroid nodules, the proximity of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) to the posterior part of the thyroid gland in the tracheoesophageal groove puts it at risk of thermal injury during the procedure. Most RLN injuries result in immediate voice change, No standardized protocol has been described to treat this, however, the injection of cold dextrose 5% in water (D5W) around the RLN has been shown to improve symptoms of nerve damage during RFA in recent retrospective studies.

A link to the published study is provided HERE