The preliminary multicenter retrospective study on the efficacy and safety of thermal ablation for follicular thyroid neoplasms ≤ 3 cm

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of thermal ablation (TA) for follicular thyroid neoplasms (FTN) ≤ 3 cm. Methods This retrospective multicenter study enrolled 161 patients (131 females; mean age, 46 ± 15 years [range, 11–86]) who underwent TA for FTN ≤ 3 cm between January 2014 and October 2023 from eight centers in China. The median follow-up time was 12 months (IQR, 12–24 months). Based on the maximum diameter (MD) of the nodule, patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (MD ≤ 2 cm) and Group 2 (2