Coming up in this episode:
Today’s guest returns to the podcast for a third time, Dr. Emad Kandil, an endocrine surgeon with a passion for helping patients shrink thyroid nodules and cancers using various nonsurgical, thyroid-sparing techniques. Dr. Kandil is the Chief of General, Endocrine and Oncological Surgery at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, Louisianna. In today’s discussion, we’ll cover topics such as his adoption of microwave ablation, thyroid embolization, the benefits of combination therapy, and treating thyroid cancer.
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What is this podcast and blog all about?
To my subscribers, welcome back! If you’re new, welcome to Save Your Thyroid, a podcast and blog all about thyroid nodules. My name is Jennifer Holkem, and I advocate for fellow patients suffering with this very common condition. Thyroid nodules impact 70% of adults in their lifetime, and the standard of care is surgical removal of half or all of the gland. But in recent years, safe and effective non-surgical treatment options have become available.
In this podcast and blog, I sit down with patients and physicians to discuss life with thyroid nodules, treatment options, and how to save the thyroid whenever possible.
Discussion topics in this episode:
- Dr. Kandil’s relocation
- Microwave ablation at Tulane
- Comparing microwave and radio frequency ablation
- Embolization at Tulane
- Combination of therapies
- Active surveillance for thyroid cancer
- Surgery after ablation
- Thyroid medication after ablation
Key Takeaways
Microwave ablation is a new technique that offers benefits for larger thyroid nodules.
Embolization can be used to shrink goiters and can be combined with ablation for larger masses.
Individualized care and patient preferences are important factors in treatment decisions.
Active surveillance for thyroid cancer can be an option for certain patients, and ablation can be considered as a treatment option in these cases.
Ablation does not negatively impact future surgery outcomes. We now have data on this!
Hydro dissection and long needles can help address nodules near nerves and critical structures.
Microwave ablation may be more suitable for larger nodules, while RFA can be used for nodules of any size.
Embolization is a vascular technique that can be used for large goiters or when other procedures are not suitable.
Preserving the thyroid gland can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life.
Watch Dr. Kandil’s previous interviews on the Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem Podcast
Save Your Thyroid at Tulane Playlist
The goal of this podcast and blog
I seek to provide data, resources, and expert opinions on the topic of thyroid nodules, and make it accessible to patients. When I was first looking for thermal ablation treatment, everything that I read was physician-facing material. It was very hard for me to understand. This material is meant to help patients understand what’s going on in their thyroid gland and what an important gland it is. If you can keep your thyroid intact, that’s going to help you live a longer, healthier life, and preserve your quality of life. Thanks for reading this far today! — Jen
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Connect with Dr. Emad Kandil
- Dr. Emad Kandils’s practice: Tulane University Medical School
- Patient hotline: 504-334-9539
- Email: ekandil@tulane.edu
- Website: https://thyroidablationusa.com/
- Follow Dr. Kandil on LinkedIn
Disclaimer: None of the statements made in this or any other video by “Its me Jen again” should be considered medical advice.
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