Ultrasound‐guided thermal ablation for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: A systematic review

Abstract Objective Thyroidectomy is the first‐line treatment for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), but often involves aggressive overtreatment. Thermal ablation (TA) has been gradually used for the treatment of recurrent PTMC. However, it is not recommended for the treatment of primary PTMC according to the Korean and Italian guidelines. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to analyse the indications, efficacy, and safety of TA in the treatment of PTMC. Design Systematic review. Patients and Measurements A search strategy was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement. A total of 27 articles were included in this study until January 2022. Results According to current guidelines and studies, we divided the indications of TA for PTMC into six primary and three secondary indications. Laser ablation (LA) has the advantages of a small needle, accurate output energy and precision ablation, and it is safe to important organs around the lesion. The patients recover quickly after radiofrequency ablation (RFA), with no major complications, recurrence, or lymph node metastasis. The volume reduction rate after RFA was the highest, followed by microwave ablation and LA, and the improvement in patient quality of life after TA was significantly better than after thyroidectomy. Conclusions TA is an effective alternative method for surgery in the treatment of low‐risk PTMC and has the advantages of being minimally invasive, economical, having less bleeding and having a high postoperative quality of life.