The thyroid nodule is one of the most common lesions in clinical practice and has been increasingly detected in approximately 50% of the general population by ultrasound (US) examination in the past two decades due to the widespread use of radiological imaging.~Benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) proven cytologically by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) account for 85 to 95% of all thyroid nodules.~Despite the fact that the majority of thyroid nodules diagnosed are benign and do not cause significant clinical symptoms, some nodules may lead to compression-related symptoms. In addition, thyrotoxic symptoms may develop due to hyperfunctioning of some nodules.~To date, surgical resection is the main treatment for thyroid nodules. However, it has serious drawbacks such as leading to excessive surgical trauma or hypothyroidism, influencing the aesthetic aspect of the neck, or increasing a post-operative recurrence rate.~RFA has shown good efficacy and safety in the management of thyroid nodule related cosmetic problems and pressure symptoms.~MWA is a newly developed local thermal ablation technique that has fast heating speed, strong coagulation ability and large ablation zone, and has become a great therapeutic method in heat ablation therapy (8) The advantages of ultrasound-guided minimally invasive ablation therapy over the traditional surgery include simpler operation and shorter treatment time. (8)
To evaluate the clinical outcomes of RFA and MWA for benign thyroid nodules treatment