Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation: What to Expect on the Day of the Procedure
Hi, this is Dr. James Wu at the UCLA Endocrine Center. Today I want to talk to you about what to expect on the day of a thyroid radiofrequency ablation procedure, also known as RFA.
I’ll walk you through it in three parts: what to expect before the procedure, what it’s like during the procedure, and some aftercare tips.
Before the Procedure
These procedures are scheduled just like regular clinic visits and typically take about an hour or so. Actual procedure time will be 15-30 minutes.
Some patients prefer mild sedation. If that’s the case, we’ll ask you to arrive about 20 to 30 minutes early. We’ll prescribe a single tablet of Xanax or Valium for you to take while you’re waiting. If you prefer not to have any sedation at all (most patients choose no sedation), you can arrive at your scheduled time.
During the Procedure
You’ll be brought into a procedure room, which is a large clinic room. We’ll expose the neck area and clean it with a sterile solution. Sterile drapes are placed to keep everything clean, leaving only the neck exposed. We make sure you’re comfortable, including giving you space to turn your head and even asking what kind of music you’d like to listen to.
We start with a numbing injection—just a quick pinprick. After that, the skin goes numb. When we insert the needle used for ablation, most patients don’t feel much once it’s inside the thyroid. Some describe a strange but not painful sensation—maybe a tugging feeling deep in the neck or near the ear.
Overall, it’s very manageable. Some patients even fall asleep. You may hear some buzzing or popping sounds as the tissue heats up and releases tiny air bubbles. We ablate the nodule bit by bit, moving the needle throughout the thyroid. The entire procedure usually takes about 40 minutes.
Once we’re done, we remove the needle—there are no cuts, just a small needle puncture. We apply a bandage and an ice pack.
Aftercare
After the procedure, you can take Tylenol if you have any soreness. You can eat normally, but we recommend avoiding driving if you can’t comfortably turn your head side to side. If you feel fine, it’s okay to drive.
Most patients feel great as soon as the next day. Some report soreness starting around day two, but it usually doesn’t last long.
Expect some swelling in the neck for about a week. Over the next few months, the nodule will gradually shrink. It takes about six months to reach its final size, but you’ll see steady improvement between months one and six.
Find your care
We deliver effective, minimally invasive treatments in a caring environment.
Call 310-267-7838 to connect with an expert in endocrine surgery.
Related Videos
You may also like: