ReviewEndocrine2024
Comparison of efficacy and safety of different minimally invasive therapies for thyroid nodules: A network meta-analysis.
Review in Endocrine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ablative Technologies for Thyroid Nodules: A Health Technology Assessment.Ontario health technology assessment series · 2026Pooled it
- Patient-Reported Symptom Relief from Percutaneous Benign Thyroid Nodule Radiofrequency Ablation in Routine Clinical Care.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2026Article
- Comparing the therapeutic efficacy of radiofrequency vs. Microwave ablation for non-functioning benign thyroid nodules.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2026Article
- Clinical outcomes and functional preservation of microwave ablation versus surgical resection for benign thyroid nodules: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Direct Ice Packing for Voice Changes During Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation: A Retrospective Case Series.Case reports in endocrinology · 2026Article
- The clinical utility of thermal ablation procedures in thyroid nodules: Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) surgical affairs committee expert opinion. Part 2.Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2025Review
- Laser ablation for the treatment of nonfunctioning benign thyroid nodules: a single center, 10-year retrospective study.Endocrine · 2025Article
- Review
- Multidisciplinary Management of Advanced Thyroid Cancer.JCO oncology practice · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to compare efficacy and safety of minimally invasive therapies such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), ethanol ablation (EA), and laser ablation (LA) for thyroid nodules through network meta-analysis (NMA).
methodsThis study searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and The Cochrane Library databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies comparing efficacy and safety of different minimally invasive therapies for thyroid nodules. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was implemented to assess quality of included cohort studies, and Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was utilized to evaluate quality of included RCTs. Eligible studies contained at least one of the following clinical outcome measures: volume reduction rate (VRR), symptom score, cosmetic score, nodule regrowth rate, and complication rate. STATA software was utilized for NMA.
resultsSixteen eligible studies (4 RCTs, 11 retrospective cohort studies, 1 prospective cohort study) involved 4094 patients. NMA results revealed that RFA group had the highest VRR at 1 months and 12 months. There were no significant differences in symptom scores and cosmetic scores among all treatment methods, with the lowest symptom scores and cosmetic scores in RFA group. LA group had a significantly higher nodule regrowth rate than RFA and MWA groups, with the lowest in RFA group. There were no significant differences in complication rate among all treatment methods.
conclusionRFA had the highest VRR for thyroid nodules, and it excelled in symptom scores, cosmetic scores, and nodule regrowth rates.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.