To investigate whether thermal ablation can be used in operable papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients by analyzing the recurrence and reoperation cases of PTC after thermal ablation.

The data of twenty-three patients undergoing surgery after thermal ablation in Yuhuangding Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University were retrospectively analyzed from May 2015 to August 2019. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in all patients before thermal ablation treatment in other hospitals, twenty cases were diagnosed as PTC and three cases was not excluded after biopsy. Fifteen cases underwent radical thyroidectomy, one underwent modified radical resection of lateral cervical lymph nodes, and seven cases underwent lobectomy due to compression of recurrent nodules.

The pathology of paraffin after reoperation showed that 56.52% (13/23) had cancer cells, 43.47% (10/23) had no cancer cells, and 30.43% (7/23) had central lymph node metastasis. New PTC nodules were found on the opposite side of ablation in two cases.

Thermal ablation of PTC can’t completely deal with the primary lesions or achieve a radical effect. Thermal ablation is not recommended for PTC patients for whom surgical treatment is feasible.