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Dr. Mei-Chen Yeh
Attending Physician, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
Profile
Dr. Mei-Chen Yeh has focused on thyroid nodule assessment and minimally invasive ablation for many years, accumulating over 300 thyroid ablation cases at Chi Mei Medical Center, across radiofrequency (RFA), microwave (MWA) and ethanol (PEI) techniques.
Treating a thyroid nodule is rarely just a matter of dealing with the nodule. It is a sequence of judgements: is this nodule benign? Is it genuinely causing symptoms? Does it need treatment at all? Is it suitable for ablation? Should it be operated on instead? And how should it be followed afterwards?
Thyroid ablation, in other words, is not a single technique but a complete pathway — diagnosis, risk stratification, choice of treatment and long-term surveillance. Getting the question right comes before getting the procedure right.
At Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan, patients in southern Taiwan have access to techniques in line with international practice without travelling to the capital. Patients from elsewhere in Taiwan and from overseas are equally welcome.
Current position
- Attending Physician, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chi Mei Medical Center
Training and career
- China Medical University, Taiwan — double major in Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Resident, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Yongkang
- Attending Physician, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chi Mei Medical Center, Yongkang
Board certification
- Internal Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Metabolism
- Certified in minimally invasive thyroid ablation
- Licensed in both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Clinical focus
- Thyroid nodule assessment and diagnostic ultrasound
- Thyroid radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
- Thyroid microwave ablation (MWA)
- Percutaneous ethanol injection for thyroid cysts (PEI)
- Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC)
- Thyroid dysfunction: hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease
- Diabetes, osteoporosis and endocrine-metabolic disorders
Publications and guidelines
- Yeh MC, Su CJ. Clinical application of minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation for benign thyroid nodules. Journal of Internal Medicine of Taiwan 2023;34(4):300–303. DOI: 10.6314/JIMT.202308_34(4).05
- Contributing author, Taiwan thyroid ablation treatment guideline monograph
- Contributions on ethanol ablation for thyroid cysts in the Journal of Internal Medicine of Taiwan
Official hospital profile
Dr. Mei-Chen Yeh — Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chi Mei Medical Center (official hospital page, in Chinese)
Clinical philosophy
"The ultimate goal of treatment is that the body recovers — and that the patient needs the doctor less and less."
Among the most rewarding moments in clinic are the patients with toxic thyroid nodules who, after ablation, come off long-term antithyroid medication entirely and return only for occasional surveillance.
Why does thyroid radiofrequency ablation call for an experienced physician?
The effectiveness and safety of thyroid radiofrequency ablation depend on more than the equipment. What matters more is the physician's experience with thyroid ultrasound, nodule assessment and ablation itself.
The thyroid sits immediately next to the trachea, the oesophagus, the carotid artery and the nerves that control the vocal cords. Nodules differ from patient to patient in size, position, blood supply and distance from these surrounding structures, so thyroid radiofrequency ablation is not a procedure performed the same way every time.
During treatment the physician continuously judges the position of the ablation needle, the treated volume and the distribution of energy on real-time ultrasound, adjusting strategy according to how the nodule relates to the critical structures around it — treating the nodule thoroughly while keeping the risk to surrounding tissue as low as possible.
Experience is not only about how to ablate, but whether to ablate at all
Not every thyroid nodule needs treatment, and not every nodule is suitable for radiofrequency ablation. The assessment beforehand takes all of the following together:
- Ultrasound characteristics of the thyroid
- Fine-needle aspiration or cytology results
- Nodule size, position and how it has changed over time
- Thyroid function
- Whether it causes pressure, swallowing discomfort or cosmetic concern
- The patient's own goals and the long-term follow-up plan
Some patients are best served by periodic follow-up, some by minimally invasive ablation, and in some situations conventional surgery is still the right choice.
What really matters in ablation is therefore not simply destroying the nodule, but the whole chain of medical judgement: reaching the correct diagnosis, selecting an appropriate treatment, carrying out the ablation safely, and following the nodule's shrinkage afterwards.
Dr. Mei-Chen Yeh has worked on thyroid nodule assessment and minimally invasive treatment in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Chi Mei Medical Center for many years, with over 300 minimally invasive thyroid ablation cases to date. Having an endocrinologist assess everything from the diagnosis of thyroid disease through treatment choice to post-procedure follow-up means each patient receives not just an ablation technique, but a thyroid treatment plan suited to them.
Last updated: 9 August 2026