title: Robot-assisted endoscopic surgery for thyroid cancer: experience with the first 100 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various robotic surgical procedures have been performed in recent years, and most reports have proved that the application of robotic technology for surgery is technically feasible and safe. This study aimed to introduce the authors' technique of robot-assisted endoscopic thyroid surgery and to demonstrate its applicability in the surgical management of thyroid cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 4 October 2007 through 14 March 2008, 100 patients with papillary thyroid cancer underwent robot-assisted endoscopic thyroid surgery using a gasless transaxillary approach. This novel robotic surgical approach allowed adequate endoscopic access for thyroid surgeries. All the procedures were completed successfully using the da Vinci S surgical robot system. Four robotic arms were used with this system: a 12-mm telescope and three 8-mm instruments. The three-dimensional magnified visualization obtained by the dual-channel endoscope and the tremor-free instruments controlled by the robotic systems allowed surgeons to perform sharp and precise endoscopic dissections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ipsilateral central compartment node dissection was used for 84 less-than-total and 16 total thyroidectomies. The mean operation time was 136.5 min (range, 79-267 min). The actual time for thyroidectomy with lymphadenectomy (console time) was 60 min (range, 25-157 min). The average number of lymph nodes resected was 5.3 (range, 1-28). No serious complications occurred. Most of the patients could return home within 3 days after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The technique of robot-assisted endoscopic thyroid surgery using a gasless transaxillary approach is a feasible, safe, and effective method for selected patients with thyroid cancer. The authors suggest that application of robotic technology for endoscopic thyroid surgeries could overcome the limitations of conventional endoscopic surgeries in the surgical management of thyroid cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, C.P.O. Box 8044, 250 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jong Ju
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Ji-Sup
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Tae Yon
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Seung Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kee-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Hang Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Woong Youn
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Cheong Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011336:Probability; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult