# Research advances in hydrogel-based strategies for thyroid disease management: from diagnosis to therapeutic applications

## TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in using hydrogels for diagnosing and treating thyroid diseases, highlighting their biocompatibility and drug delivery potential.

## Contribution

The paper systematically evaluates hydrogel applications across various thyroid disorders and their therapeutic and diagnostic uses.

## Key findings

- Hydrogels offer biocompatibility and tunable properties suitable for thyroid disease management.
- Applications include drug delivery, tissue engineering, and postoperative care following thyroid surgery.
- Challenges remain in optimizing hydrogels for minimally invasive therapies and long-term therapeutic outcomes.

## Abstract

This comprehensive review examines cutting-edge developments in hydrogel technology for thyroid disease management, encompassing both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. As a promising polymeric biomaterial with a three-dimensional (3D) network structure, hydrogels demonstrate exceptional potential in thyroid disease due to their unique combination of properties: (1) remarkable biocompatibility, (2) precisely tunable physicochemical characteristics, and (3) controlled drug release capabilities. Our analysis systematically evaluates hydrogel applications across the spectrum of thyroid disorders, including (i) diagnostic approaches for thyroid nodules, (ii) therapeutic interventions for endocrine dysfunction (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism), (iii) innovative treatments for thyroid neoplasms, and (iv) hemostasis, wound healing, repair of thyroid cartilage and laryngeal nerve injuries following thyroid surgery. It focuses on analyzing their advantages and challenges in drug delivery, minimally invasive therapy, tissue engineering, and postoperative care. Finally, future development directions for hydrogels in the field of thyroid disease are discussed.