Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Thyroid Microwave Ablation and Radiofrequency Ablation versus Open Surgery for the Treatment of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Propensity Score Matching Study.

Aim: With the advantage of preserving thyroid function while minimizing intervention-related morbidity, minimally invasive thermal ablation techniques such as microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have emerged as alternatives to traditional open surgery. This study compares the efficacy and safety of MWA and RFA with that of open surgery for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules by utilizing a propensity score matching study design to improve comparability.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with benign thyroid nodules treated at the North China Electric Power University (Baoding) School Hospital between May 2020 and May 2023. Following propensity score matching, the patients were equally divided into three treatment groups: MWA, RFA, and open surgery. Data on demographic characteristics, thyroid function, treatment outcomes (including nodule size reduction, postoperative pain, cosmetics, hospital stay, and quality of life (QoL)), and postoperative complications were analyzed.

Results: A total of 160 patients, including 55 patients who received MWA, 58 patients treated with RFA and 47 patients operated with open surgery, were initially included. Propensity score matching, aimed at minimizing baseline differences among the groups, was conducted, leaving behind 105 patients, who were equally distributed with 35 persons per group. Compared to open surgery, both MWA and RFA significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss, operation time, length of hospital stay, and pain scores (p < 0.05). The incidence of complications, such as hypothyroidism, hematoma, wound pain, and incision adhesion, was also significantly lower (p < 0.05). In addition, the MWA and RFA were superior to open surgery in terms of cosmetic satisfaction and overall QoL scores (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the MWA and RFA groups in terms of treatment efficacy, complication rates, cosmetic satisfaction, and QoL scores (p > 0.05). At the 6-month follow-up, no significant differences in thyroid function were observed among the three treatment modalities (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: MWA and RFA exhibit comparable outcomes, in terms of efficacy and safety, for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, with advantages over open surgery including shorter hospital stays, lower level of postoperative pain, better cosmetic outcomes, higher QoL scores, and lower rates of certain complications.