Who can perform ablation?
Thyroid ablation is an advanced ultrasound technique. To perform ablation safely and get good outcomes, the proceduralist should have extensive experience in performing ultraosunds and biopsies of thyroid and neck structures. Generally, >1000 neck ultrasounds and >200 biopsies would be minimal standards. Unfortunately there are no other practitioners in Australia as of 2025 who are experienced in thyroid ablation. However, there are some practitioners who want to perform (or are starting to perform) ablations in Australia who are not qualified to do so and this may result in high complication rates and poor outcomes. You should research your proceduralist carefully in this regard as safety is paramount.
There is a significant learning curve for thyroid ablation even for people experienced in neck ultrasound and biopsy. If you are planning a thyroid ablative procedure, you should always ask the proceduralist how many ablations they have performed. Patient chat forums on social media platforms (such as "Save Your Thyroid" led by Jennifer Holkem on Facebook) are excellent resources in this regard.
If your procedure is being performed by a radiologist, please ensure that you have received adequate counselling from a qualified thyroid specialist, either an endocrinologist or a thyroid surgeon, as only a specialist involved in the day-to-day care of patietns with thyroid disease can provide appropriate information and guidance about all available treatment options for your individual disease subtype.
