Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation on postoperative outcomes, thyroid hormone levels, and nodule volume in patients with thyroid micro-papillary carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 180 patients with thyroid micro-papillary carcinoma admitted to our hospital from January 2022 to January 2025 were selected. Patients were divided into a control group (90 cases) and an observation group (90 cases) based on different treatment regimens. The control group received surgical resection, while the observation group underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation. Both groups were followed up for 12 months postoperatively. Surgical indicators, hospitalization costs, length of stay, preoperative and postoperative thyroid hormone levels at 12 months, quality of life, and the incidence of complications, recurrence, and metastasis during follow-up were compared. Additionally, changes in nodule volume at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively in the observation group were analyzed. The mental component summary (MCS), physical component summary (PCS) scores, and the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The observation group had a surgical incision of (1.95 ± 0.30) mm, significantly smaller than the control group's (60.10 ± 9.85) mm. Intraoperative blood loss was (2.05 ± 0.18) ml in the observation group versus (15.02 ± 3.10) ml in the control group, and the operation time was (28.20 ± 7.30) min in the observation group, compared to (73.10 ± 12.78) min in the control group. Length of stay was (2.35 ± 0.45) days in the observation group, shorter than (5.90 ± 1.303) days in the control group; all differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) at 12 months postoperative increased in the control group and were significantly higher than in the observation group (P < 0.001). In the observation group, there was no significant difference in serum TSH levels between preoperative and postoperative at 12 months (P > 0.05). Compared to preoperative values, nodule volumes initially increased and then decreased at 1 month postoperative, and volumes were smaller than preoperative values by 6 months (P < 0.05). At 12 months postoperative, MCS, PCS, and SF-36 scores increased in both groups, with the observation group scores being significantly higher (P < 0.001). The total incidence of complications in the observation group was 6.9%, lower than 15.29% in the control group (P < 0.05). No recurrences or metastases were observed in either group during the 12-month follow-up period… with no recurrences or metastasis observed during short-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared with surgical resection, ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation improves surgical indicators in patients with thyroid micro-papillary carcinoma, reduces hospitalization duration and costs, and decreases the incidence of complications. Moreover, the patients exhibit good postoperative recovery with no notable recurrences or metastasis, and this treatment method significantly reduces nodule volume without adversely affecting thyroid hormone levels.