SARASOTA, Fla. – (April 10, 2023) – Sarasota Memorial is now offering a full range of minimally invasive ablative therapies to treat thyroid nodules.
The multi-disciplinary team at SMH’s Thyroid and Parathyroid Center reviews each patient’s case to determine the best treatment option based on the type of nodule, the location, and the size.
“This is really a unique center, unlike any other in the country, because we have the endocrinology team, interventional radiology team, and the surgical team all working together to consider all options for management in any patients” said Ralph P. Tufano, MD, MBA, FACS, the medical director of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery at SMH. “By offering all of the ablative technologies at the SMH Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, we are able to give our patients choices and find the best treatment for them.”
Dr. Tufano is a world-renowned thyroid and parathyroid surgeon who joined SMH in August of 2021 to oversee the new Thyroid and Parathyroid Center. He is an expert in minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation, also known as RFA. Dr. Tufano partners with community specialists to bring new treatments, including the newest addition of Echolaser, to SMH.
“Echolaser is a minimally invasive technique, using a laser, to treat both benign and malignant thyroid nodules,” added Juan Camacho, MD, an interventional radiologist with Radiolo
gy Associates of Florida, who performs the outpatient Echolaser procedure at SMH. “It’s another treatment option we are able to provide, another tool in our tool belt.”
Even if they’re benign, thyroid nodules can impact a patient’s quality of life, including causing swelling in the neck, difficulty or pain when swallowing, and trouble breathing. Ablative technologies, like the Echolaser, are used to reduce or shrink the nodules.
To learn more about Sarasota Memorial’s Thyroid and Parathyroid Center, and available treatments for patients, click here.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with more than 1 million patient visits each year across its 2 hospital campuses, free-standing ER, skilled nursing and rehabilitation center and network of outpatient and urgent care centers. Its flagship 901-bed Sarasota hospital has been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best, with superior patient outcomes and comprehensive network of outpatient. The public health system opened its second acute-care hospital, SMH-Venice, in November 2021, with 110 beds and full range of specialties to serve the growing south Sarasota County region. For more information, visit smh.com.