Catherine Sinclair

Lee, J.C. and Sinclair, C. (2026), RFA for Benign Thyroid Nodules—Is a Sham-Controlled RCT Justified or Practical?. ANZ Journal of Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.70624 In “Benign symptomatic thyroid nodules—a place for a randomized trial of sham procedure versus radiofrequency ablation?” [1]. Morton calls for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to a sham procedure for benign symptomatic thyroid nodules.

1 Introduction The startle response (SR) is a protective reaction to sudden or threatening stimuli present in nearly all animals that perceive sensory signals. The mammalian SR involves reflexive contraction of flexor muscles triggered by unexpected tactile, vestibular, or acoustic stimuli above a certain threshold. The SR is highly variable, influenced by alertness, emotion, and posture, and typically habituates with repetition due to supraspinal modulation [1, 2].

Rates of vocal fold motion impairment (VFMI) during and after thermal ablative treatments for thyroid nodules have not been well documented. This study surveys a large group of laryngologists to assess the rate of VFMI and dysphonia referral patterns after thermal ablation. A peri-procedural voice assessment algorithm for proceduralists performing thermal ablation for thyroid nodules is presented. Sixty-one respondents completed the survey.