Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2015 Jun;8(2):149-154. 10.3342/ceo.2015.8.2.149.

Nationwide Multicenter Survey for Current Status of Endoscopic Thyroidectomy in Korea

• Park KN
• Cho SH
• Lee SW

• KMID: 2360786
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/ceo.2015.8.2.149

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the current status of endoscopic thyroidectomy procedures in Korea in terms of indications, contraindications, advantages, disadvantages, complications, and limitations of each approach.
METHODS
An email survey, consisting of 15 questions, was sent to 29 experienced endoscopic thyroidectomy surgeons.
RESULTS
The most commonly used approach was the gasless transaxillary approach (66.7%), followed by the bilateral axillo-breast approach with gas insufflation (23.8%). The most common indication was less than 1 cm, single papillary thyroid cancer. The role of endoscopic thyroidectomy is not still established; some consider it a novel procedure (34.8%), others a transition to robotic thyroidectomy (34.8%).
CONCLUSION
Our results shed light on the general consensus of opinions about endoscopic thyroidectomy, such as the advantages, disadvantages, complications, limitations, and even its future role.

Keyword

Endoscopy; Data Collection; Thyroidectomy

MeSH Terms

Consensus
Data Collection
Electronic Mail
Endoscopy
Insufflation
Korea
Thyroid Neoplasms
Thyroidectomy*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Currently used approaches for endoscopic thyroidectomy. TA, gaseless transaxillary approach; BABA, bilateral axillo-breast approach with gas insufflation; Chest app, chest approach with gas insufflation; Breast app, breast approach with gas insufflation.

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  Fig. 2 Currently used approaches for endoscopic thyroidectomy by head and neck surgeons. TA breast port, transaxillary approach with breast port; TA chest port, transaxillary approach with chest port; Single TA port, single port transaxillary approach; BABA, bilateral axillo-breast approach with gas insufflation.

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  Fig. 3 Currently used approaches for endoscopic thyroidectomy by endocrine surgeons. TA, gaseless transaxillary approach; BABA, bilateral axillo-breast approach with gas insufflation; Chest app, chest approach with gas insufflation; Breast app, breast approach with gas insufflation.

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  Fig. 4 Advantages of the transaxillary approach. Good view, good surgical view; Working space, enough working space; CND, central compartment neck dissection.

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  Fig. 5 Advantages of bilateral axillo-breast approach. Good view, good surgical view; Working space, enough working space.

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  Fig. 6 Indications for endoscopic thyroidectomy in papillary thyroid cancer. PTC, papillary thyroid cancer.

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  Fig. 7 Contraindications for endoscopic thyroidectomy. Graves' Dz, Graves' disease; Inf extended goiter, inferiorly extended thyroid goiter; Thyroid cap invasion, thyroid capsule invasion; Adjacent trachea, papillary thyroid cancer adjacent to the trachea.

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  Fig. 8 Serious complications of endoscopic thyroidectomy. IJV, internal jugular vein; PTS, postthyroidectomy syndrome; RLN, recurrent laryngeal nerve.

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