Efficacy of Microwave Ablation in the Treatment of Hyperthyroidism With Benign/Malignant Nodules

This study aims to compare and analyze the 3-year efficacy and safety differences of microwave ablation in the treatment of patients with hyperthyroidism with benign nodules/papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

This retrospective study included 66 patients with hyperthyroidism accompanied by nodules who received microwave ablation treatment from December 2009 to December 2024. A 3-year follow-up was conducted after the operation to monitor indicators such as the complete remission rate of hyperthyroidism and the tumor disappearance rate, and the differences in therapeutic effects between the two groups were analyzed through propensity score matching (PSM).

Post-PSM cohort analysis showed that at the 36-month follow-up after surgery, the complete remission rate of hyperthyroidism in the benign nodule group was 93.8%, which was higher than 62.5% in the PTC group (p = 0.083). The tumor disappearance rate in the benign nodule group was 50.0%, which was higher than that in the PTC group at 18.8% (p = 0.0627). During the 3-year follow-up period, no disease progression was observed in either group of patients. No serious complications were reported in either group.

MWA in the treatment of hyperthyroidism with benign nodules or PTC has certain efficacy and safety. In terms of therapeutic effect, the difference between the benign nodule group and the PTC group was not statistically significant, and further verification with larger sample sizes is still needed.