Minimally invasive, totally gasless video-assisted thyroid lobectomy.
BACKGROUND
Neck surgery is one of the newest fields of application of video-assisted surgery. We developed a technique for minimally invasive, totally gasless video-assisted thyroid lobectomy.


METHODS
The procedure was accepted by a patient with a follicular nodule of the left lobe of the thyroid. We performed a left thyroid lobectomy through a single 20-mm horizontal skin incision, just above the sternal notch, after inserting a 5-mm 30 degrees laparoscope, by using both endoscopic and conventional instrumentation.


RESULTS
The recurrent laryngeal nerve and the parathyroid glands were easily identified and preserved. The operating time was 2.5 hours. No complication occurred. The postoperative stay was 2 days. The cosmetic result was excellent


CONCLUSIONS
We concluded that our technique is feasible and safe. This makes us optimistic about the future of minimally invasive, video-assisted thyroid surgery.
D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome