title: Video-assisted open thyroid lobectomy through a small incision.
abstract: To examine if postoperative morbidity may occur in gasless video-assisted thyroid lobectomy, 111 patients with solitary nodules were treated either by gasless video-assisted lobectomy or by conventional lobectomy. Operating time needed for video-assisted lobectomy significantly exceeded that needed for conventional surgery. No death, massive hemorrhage, wound hematoma, wound infection, or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurred in patients treated by either video-assisted or conventional lobectomy. Damage to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve occurred in 6 (10.2%) patients following conventional surgery but in no patients following video-assisted lobectomy (P = .0289). Transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 5 (8.5%) patients after conventional surgery and in 3 (5.8%) patients after video-assisted surgery (P = .7209). It is noteworthy that morbidity occurs in video-assisted lobectomy. The general principles of thyroid surgery should be followed to avoid the occurrence of complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. tcchao@adm.cgmh.org.tw
authors.forename: Tzu-Chieh
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Jen-Der
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Miin-Fu
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000379:methods*