I recently heard from a patient who had arterial embolization for Graves’ disease performed in China by Dr. Xhou earlier this month. In 2007, Dr. Xhou published a study in which twenty-eight patients with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease were enrolled to undergo thyroid arterial embolization and followed up for 12-22 months.
In the study, twenty-two patients had three thyroid arteries embolized and six patients two arteries. Serum thyroid hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and autoimmune function were tested before and after embolization in all patients.
RESULTS: Of 28 patients, 22 (78.6%) became euthyroid, five improved (17.8%), and one had temporary improvement followed by recurrence (3.6%). No serious complications occurred. Compared with the pre-embolization values, serum concentrations of thyroid hormone increased temporarily on day 3 post-embolization, dropped substantially after 1 and 2 months, and returned to nearly normal at 6 and 12 months post-embolization.
TSH dropped on day 3, increased after 1 and 2 months, and returned to normal after 6 and 12 months. Thyroid antibodies TGAb and TPOAb declined on day 3 to normal range, rose after 1 month, dropped to normal again after 2 months, and were slightly increased at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Unfortunately, TSI levels weren't measured.
The patient I heard from is the first American to have had this procedure done. She reported that Dr. Xhou is willing to train other physicians in this procedure, which is currently not approved for use in the United States. She is also willing to answer questions from other patients.