from Mary J. Shomon

November, 2002 -- Chinese researchers have reported on a technique known as thyroid arterial embolization, in which the blood supply to the thyroid is blocked as a treatment to disable the thyroid's hormone-producing capabilities. The study looked at thyroid arterial embolization in 22 Graves' disease patients, and found that among those who received this procedure, 64% returned to normal thyroid levels during the study period. At the end of a 27 month follow-up period, all 22 patients were euthyroid, and 2 patients required antithyroid drugs to maintain normal thyroid levels.

Overall, the researchers found that the thyroid arterial embolization procedure is an effective, minimally invasive, and safe method for the treatment of Graves' disease patients and may help those patients who can't or choose not to follow typical therapies such as oral medication, radioactive iodine, or surgery.

Source: Xiao, H., et. al. "Arterial Embolization: A Novel Approach to Thyroid Ablative Therapy for Graves' Disease," The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 87, No. 8 3583-3589