Comparison Between Radiofrequency Ablation and Microwave Ablation in the Treatment for Benign Thyroid Nodules: a Meta-analysis

The aim of this study is to evaluate which of thermal ablations is better method for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules (BTNs), through comparing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with microwave ablation (MWA). The databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library were searched up to 1 May, 2021. In this meta-analysis, operation time, volume reduction rate (VRR), overall complication rate, symptom score, cosmetic score, and therapeutic success rate were obtained. Five studies involving 902 patients in microwave ablation group and 965 patients in radiofrequency ablation group were included. The VRR in microwave ablation group was higher than that in radiofrequency ablation group (P   0.05). Microwave ablation and radiofrequency ablation are both effective and safe methods for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. Higher volume reduction rate was showed in the microwave ablation group.