Does thyroid ethanol ablation affect my thyroid function?

Ethanol ablation is a thyroid-sparing procedure. This means the overall risk of hypothyroidism (thyroid underactivity) as a result of the procedure is very low (1% or less). There could be some temporary mild changes in thyroid function tests but this would not normally cause any detectable symptoms. Situations in which hypothyroidism might be more common include those patients who have underlying inflammation of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis) or where their blood tests indicate they already have declining or borderline thyroid function.