Deep Dive: Thyroid RFA and Goiter Embolization

Saturday, March 29, 2025

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT

Location: Music City Center, 208 AB

CE: 4

Content Level: 200 (intermediate)

Coordinator(s)

Timothy Huber, MD

Interventional Radiologist
Jefferson Radiology, United States
Alan Sag, MD

Interventional Radiologist
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, United States

SIR 2025 Deep Dive: Thyroid RFA and Goiter Embolization provides learners with an in-depth learning experience including didactic and hands-on sessions so they can adopt these techniques into their practice.

Note: Tickets are required to attend. Add the Deep Dive to your SIR 2025 meeting experience during the registration process.

Learning Objectives:

Patient selection for RFA/MWA: An overview of how to select appropriate patients for percutaneous ablation. Objectives: What do current guidelines/recommendations suggest? How do you evaluate patients and symptoms? What criteria do you use to include/exclude patients? How do you counsel them?
Thyroid nodule RFA/MWA basics: A description of how thermal ablation works and how to perform it safely. Objectives: How does thermal ablation work, and how does this impact creation of the ablation zone? What techniques are important to learn for percutaneous ablation in the thyroid? Room set up and tips for a smooth procedure
Pre and post patient management: A discussion of periprocedural patient care. Objectives: What labs and testing do you get prior to RFA (TFTs, FNA, molecular testing?) Periprocedural pain/anxiety management Important complications and their management/mitigation Practice building and CPT code update: How to start a thyroid nodule RFA program and how the new CPT code may impact you. Objectives: Discuss key steps in starting and RFA practice Considerations for billing Update on the new CPT code for thyroid nodule RFA Outcomes and controlling regrowth: What can we expect in terms of outcomes after RFA, and how to improve our outcomes. Objectives: Review the literature on outcomes after thyroid nodule RFA Discuss the concept of marginal regrowth and how to prevent/treat it Thyroid cancer and RFA: What is the role of RFA in the setting of thyroid cancer? Objectives: How to select patients for RFA Technical considerations when treating thyroid cancer How do outcomes compare to surgery Introduction to goiter embolization: Discussion of goiter, how embolization can help, and how to select patients. Objectives: What is goiter and how does it present The role of embolization in treating goiter, and outcomes How to select appropriate patients Goiter embolization techniques and case review: Discussion of key techniques for safe goiter embolization with cases to highlight salient points. Objectives: Describe the basic techniques of goiter embolization Discuss necessary equipment (catheters, wires, embolics) Describe the periprocedural management for goiter embolization

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 8:15 AM CT

Patient selection for RFA/MWA
Speaker: Chelsey Baldwin, MD – George Washington University
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM CT

Thyroid nodule RFA/MWA basics
Speaker: Brian Park, MD, MS – Oregon Health & Science University
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM CT

Pre and post patient management
Speaker: Adriana Gabriela Ramirez, MD, MPH – Yale School of Medicine
8:45 AM – 9:00 AM CT

Practice building and CPT code update
Speaker: Timothy Huber, MD – Jefferson Radiology
9:10 AM – 9:25 AM CT

Outcomes and controlling regrowth
Speaker: Auh Whan Park, MD – UTSW Medical Center/Department of Radiology
9:25 AM – 9:40 AM CT

Thyroid cancer and RFA
Speaker: Lisa Walker, MD – University of Colorado
9:40 AM – 9:55 AM CT

Introduction to goiter embolization
Speaker: Alan Alper Sag, MD – University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
9:55 AM – 10:10 AM CT

Goiter embolization techniques and case review
Speaker: Ravi N. Srinivasa, MD, FSIR – UCLA
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT

Hands on RFA/MWA phantoms and Mentice simulator