Effects of Microwave Ablation Treatment on Voice in Benign Thyroid Nodules and Parathyroid Adenomas

This study investigates the effects of microwave ablation (MWA) on voice in patients with benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) and parathyroid adenomas (PTAs).

Patients with BTNs or PTAs who underwent MWA treatment were included. All patients had videolaryngostroboscopic (VLS) examinations, GRBAS assessments, patient-reported outcomes (Turkish Voice Handicap Index-10 [T-VHI-10] and Turkish Voice-Related Quality of Life [T-VRQOL] scales), and acoustic analysis before treatment. Evaluations were repeated at 1 week and 3 months post-procedure.

For BTNs, subjective evaluations showed significant improvements in GRBAS total scores (p < 0.001) and patient-reported outcomes (T-VHI-10, p = 0.006; T-VRQOL, p = 0.010) at 3 months compared to pretreatment. For PTAs, GRBAS total scores increased significantly in the first week (p = 0.001) but were improved by the third month relative to baseline. Acoustic analysis revealed a significant improvement in jitter (%) values for BTNs between pretreatment and 1 week posttreatment (p = 0.005). Shimmer %, F0 (fundamental frequency), and harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) remained stable in BTNs (p = 0.421, 0.134, 0.637), while no significant changes in jitter %, shimmer %, F0, or HNR were observed in PTAs (p = 0.529, 0.895, 0.931, 0.975).

Subjective assessment results showed significant improvements (GRBAS, T-VHI-10, T-V-RQOL) for BTNs between pretreatment and 3 months posttreatment. For PTAs, GRBAS total scores at 3 months were better than pretreatment. No significant changes were found in patient-reported measurement scores (T-VHI-10, T-V-RQOL) in patients with PTAs. MWA treatment in patients with BTNs positively affected voice by significantly reducing jitter (%), whereas in PTAs, acoustic analysis indicated no significant voice changes.