A Safety and Feasibility Trial of Ultrasound‐Guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Parotid Warthin's Tumor

Abstract Objective To determine if ultrasound‐guided (USG) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of Parotid Warthin's tumor under local anesthesia is a safe and effective procedure. Study Design Safety and feasibility study. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Methods This is an IDEAL phase 2a trial in a tertiary referral center. Twenty patients with Parotid Warthin's tumor were recruited. RFA was done between September and December 2021 for all 20 patients using a CoATherm AK‐F200 machine with a disposable, 18G × 7 mm radiofrequency electrode. Results and follow‐up statistics were compared with a historic sample of patients with parotid Warthin's tumor who underwent parotidectomy between 2019 and 2021 in the same center. Results Nineteen patients were included in the analysis as 1 patient dropped out after 4 weeks of follow‐up. The mean age for the RFA group was 67 years old with most of them being male smokers. At a median of 45 weeks (44‐47 weeks) postprocedure there was a 7.48 mL (68.4%) volume reduction compared to baseline. Three patients had transient facial nerve (FN) paresis, 1 recovered within hours, and the other 2 by 12 weeks follow‐up. Three patients had great auricular nerve numbness; 1 patient had infected hematoma treated in an out‐patient manner. Compared to a historic cohort of parotidectomy patients for Warthin's tumor, there was no significant difference in FN paresis and other minor complications between the 2 treatment modalities. Conclusion The current analysis suggests that USG RFA of Warthin's Tumor is a safe alternative to parotidectomy with shorter operative time and length of stay.