Search Results (4)

Demand for minimally invasive surgery has driven the development of new gadgets and surgical techniques. Yet, questions about safety and skeptical views on new technology have prevented proliferation of new modes of surgery. This skepticism is perhaps due to unfamiliarity of new fields. Likewise, there are currently various remote-access techniques available for thyroid surgeons that only few regions in the world have adapted. This review will explore the history of minimally invasive techniques in thyroid surgery and introduce new technology to be implemented. Full article

Objectives: Robotic bilateral axillary breast approach (BABA) thyroid surgery began in 2008 and is now one of the most widely used remote-access thyroid surgeries worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the results of 500 robotic BABA thyroid surgeries performed in a single institution in Korea compared with open thyroid surgery. Methods: From December 2018 to March 2020, 502 robotic BABA thyroidectomies (RTs) and 531 conventional open thyroidectomies (OTs) were performed in our institution by a single endocrine surgeon. We retrospectively reviewed patient medical records and performed a comparative analysis of OT and RT. Results: The RT group was younger (43.41 ± 11.41 versus 54.28 ± 13.41 years, p < 0.001) and had a higher proportion of females (84.3% versus 69.3%, p < 0.001), a lower BMI (24.66 ± 3.97 versus 25.83 ± 4.07 kg/m²), a higher proportion of lobectomies (52.6% versus 45.2%) and a lower proportion of lateral neck dissections (3.4% versus 10.0%, p < 0.001). The RT group had a longer operation time (145.33 ± 40.80 versus 93.39 ± 43.55 min, p < 0.001) and higher surgical costs. Although the OT group had a larger tumor size and a higher proportion of extrathyroidal extension, the numbers of retrieved lymph nodes were not significantly different between the two groups. Additionally, there was no difference in the stimulated thyroglobulin level before radioactive iodine therapy (7.01 ± 35.73 versus 8.39 ± 58.77, p = 0.782). The rates of transient vocal cord palsy and transient hypoparathyroidism were significantly lower in the RT group, and those of scar-related complications were higher in the OT group. Conclusions: Robotic BABA thyroid surgery has advantages not only in better cosmetic outcomes but also in lower rates of vocal cord palsy and hypoparathyroidism, with comparable lymph node retrieval and serum thyroglobulin levels. Full article

Background: Bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic thyroidectomy has been successfully performed for thyroid cancer patients with excellent cosmetic results. Completion thyroidectomy is sometimes necessary after thyroid lobectomy, and whether it has a higher complication rate than the primary operation due to the presence of adhesions remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes, including operation time and postoperative complications, in patients who underwent BABA robotic completion thyroidectomy. Methods: From Jan 2012 to Aug 2020, 33 consecutive patients underwent BABA robotic completion thyroidectomy for a thyroid malignancy after BABA robotic thyroid lobectomy. The procedures were divided into five steps: (1) robot setting and surgical draping, (2) flap dissection, (3) robot docking, (4) thyroidectomy, and (5) closure. Clinicopathological characteristics, operation time, and postoperative complications were reviewed. Results: The total operation time was shorter for completion thyroidectomy than for the initial operation (164.8 ± 31.7 min vs. 179.8 ± 27.1 min, p = 0.043). Among the robotic thyroidectomy steps, the duration of the thyroidectomy step was shorter than that of the initial operation (69.6 ± 20.9 min vs. 83.0 ± 19.5 min, p = 0.009. One patient (1/33, 3.0%) needed hematoma evacuation under the flap area immediately after surgery. Three patients (3/33, 9.1%) showed transient hypoparathyroidism, and one patient (1/33, 3.0%) had permanent hypoparathyroidism. Two patients (2/33, 6.1%) showed transient vocal cord palsy and recovered within 3 months following the completion thyroidectomy. There were no cases of open conversion, tracheal injury, flap injury or wound infection. Conclusions: BABA robotic completion thyroidectomy could be performed safely without completion-related complication. Full article

Background: Surgical treatment of Graves’ disease (GD) has a potentially increased incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLNP) and bleeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current extent of surgery for the treatment of GD and its safety as a short-term outcome. Methods: Patients who underwent thyroid resection for GD were identified from the prospective StuDoQ/Thyroid registry. Patient data were retrospectively analyzed regarding demographics, surgical procedures and perioperative outcomes. Statistics were performed with Student’s t-test or Fisher’s exact test and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 1808 patients with GD with a median age of 44 (range 14–85) years were enrolled in a 25-month period by 78 departments, of which 35.7% (n = 645) had an endocrine orbitopathy and 0.1% (n = 6) had thyrotoxic crisis. Conventional open surgery was used in 98.6% of cases and minimally invasive or remote-access approaches were used in 1.4%. Total thyroidectomy was performed in 93.4% of cases (n = 1688). Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was used in 98.9% (n = 1789) of procedures. In 98.3% (n = 1777) at least one parathyroid gland was visualized and in 20.7% (n = 375) parathyroids were autografted. The rates of unilateral and bilateral transient RLNP were 3.9% (n = 134/3429 nerves at risk) and 0.1% (n = 4/3429 NAR). The rates of transient RLNP tended to be higher when intermittent IONM was used compared to continuous IONM (4.1% vs. 3.4%, p < 0.059). The rate of transient postoperative hypoparathyroidism was overall 29% (n = 525/1808). Multivariate analysis revealed fewer than 300 thyroid resections and fewer than 15 thyroid resections for GD per year, male sex, BMI > 30, autotransplantation of parathyroid glands and previous bilateral thyroid surgery as independent risk factors for postoperative temporary hypoparathyroidism. Reoperations for bleeding (1.3%) were rare. Conclusion: Total thyroidectomy with IONM is safe and currently the most common surgical therapy for GD in Germany. Postoperative hypoparathyroidism is the major complication which should be focused on. Full article