Short- and long-term effects of microwave ablation and radiofrequency ablation on nodule volume and thyroid function in patients with benign thyroid nodules

<b>Objective</b> To explore the short- and long-term effects of microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on thyroid nodule volume and thyroid function in patients with benign thyroid nodules (BTN). <b>Methods</b> One hundred and thirty-seven patients with BTN who met the research criteria were selected from January 2021 to January 2023 as the research subjects. According to the different treatment methods, they were divided into MWA group (66 cases) and RFA group (71 cases). The surgical conditions, nodule volume reduction rate (VRR), thyroid function ［serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (F3), free thyroxine (F4)］ and complications after ablation were evaluated in the two groups of patients. <b>Results</b> The ablation time and ablation time per unit volume in MWA group were shorter than those in RFA group ( P ＜0.05). The VRR was lower in MWA group than that in RFA group at 6 months and 12 months after ablation ( P ＜0.05). There were no statistical differences in the levels of TSH, FT3 and FT4 between the two groups before and after ablation ( P ＞0.05). There was no statistical significance in the incidence of complications after ablation between groups (10.61%vs 7.04%,χ 2=0.544,P ＞0.05). <b>Conclusion</b> Both MWA and RFA are effective methods for the treatment of BTN. The short-term efficacy of the two methods is similar and neither has a significant impact on thyroid function. MWA and RFA have a low incidence of complications. However, in terms of long-term efficacy, RFA exhibits more advantages over MWA.