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Jeong WK, Baek JH, Rhim H, Kim YS, Kwak MS, Jeong HJ, Lee D Radiofrequency ablation of benign thyroid nodules: safety and imaging follow-up in 236 patients. Eur Radiol. 2008 Jun;18(6):1244-50. doi: 10.1007/s00330-008-0880-6. Epub 2008 Feb 20.
Korkusuz H, Sennert M, Fehre N, Happel C, Grünwald F Local thyroid tissue ablation by high-intensity focused ultrasound: effects on thyroid function and first human feasibility study with hot and cold thyroid nodules. Int J Hyperthermia. 2014 Nov;30(7):480-5. doi: 10.3109/02656736.2014.962626. Epub 2014 Oct 14.
Kovatcheva RD, Vlahov JD, Stoinov JI, Zaletel K Benign Solid Thyroid Nodules: US-guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation-Initial Clinical Outcomes. Radiology. 2015 Aug;276(2):597-605. doi: 10.1148/radiol.15141492. Epub 2015 Mar 13.
Lang BH, Woo YC, Wong CKH High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Treatment of Symptomatic Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Prospective Study. Radiology. 2017 Sep;284(3):897-906. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2017161640. Epub 2017 Apr 18.
Sung JY, Baek JH, Kim KS, Lee D, Yoo H, Kim JK, Park SH Single-session treatment of benign cystic thyroid nodules with ethanol versus radiofrequency ablation: a prospective randomized study. Radiology. 2013 Oct;269(1):293-300. doi: 10.1148/radiol.13122134. Epub 2013 Apr 24.
Efficacy and Safety of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Reapplication in Benign Thyroid Nodules That Had Less-than Adequate Shrinkage Following Single-session HIFU Treatment.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
