Objective Ultrasonography-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is used to treat small low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and has achieved favorable results. However, few studies have compared the outcomes of T1aN0M0 and T1bN0M0 PTC treated with ultrasonography-guided RFA. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of patients receiving RFA for solitary T1aN0M0 and T1bN0M0 PTC retrospectively. Methods Patients treated with RFA for solitary T1aN0M0 or T1bN0M0 PTC between April 2014 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were ineligible for or refused surgery. Our institutional review board approved this study. A total of 262 patients were included after adjustment for propensity score matching between the T1a and T1b groups. Local tumor progression (LTP), LTP-free survival, post-treatment complications, change in tumor volume, and RFA-related parameters were compared between the two groups. Results The LTP rate was 3.82% in both groups, and the LTP and LTP-free survival rates did not significantly differ between the two groups. One patient in group T1b developed transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Significant tumor shrinkage was observed during the follow-up. The rate of tumor disappearance rate was higher in group T1a than in group T1b (81.7% vs 52.7%, P < 0.001). During RFA, the output power and total energy were higher and the duration was significantly shorter in group T1b than in group T1a (P < 0.001). Conclusions The outcomes of RFA for the treatment of T1aN0M0 and T1bN0M0 PTC were similar. Therefore, RFA may be an alternative to surgery for the treatment of T1bN0M0 and T1aN0M0 PTCs.

Aim To predict the spontaneous closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) and assist pediatrician to manage VSD children. Methods Between January 2008 and December 2016, 132 children diagnosed with isolated VSD by echocardiography were enrolled. All participating children were followed‐up by echocardiography yearly until the closure of VSD or 6 years old. The clinical indicators and echocardiographic parameters of patients were collected. Statistically significant factors were used to establish a Logistic Regression model for predicting spontaneous closure of VSD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the specificity and sensitivity of Logistic Regression model. Results Spontaneous closure occurred in 60% of all patients; 57% in perimembranous VSD (p‐VSD) and 64% in muscular VSD (m‐VSD) patients. Initial diagnosis age, defect size, aneurysms tissue of the ventricular membranous septum (ATVMS), pulmonary hypertension (PH), and left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVDD) were statistically significant. Defect size, ATVMS and LVDD were determined by the Logistic Regression model as representative factor. P‐VSD and m‐VSD model had areas under the ROC curves 0.854 and 0.898, respectively. Conclusion We inferred that defect size, ATVMS and LVDD were characteristic and representative predictors for spontaneous closure of VSD. And we summarized the prognostic factors and recommended a follow‐up criteria to assist the pediatrician managing VSD children.

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