title: Video-assisted thyroidectomy: lessons learned after more than one decade.
abstract: In selected patients, video-assisted thyroidectomy can be considered a safe and validated procedure offering significant advantages over conventional surgery, with no additional morbidity. Aim of this study was to evaluate the results obtained in a series of patients selected for video-assisted thyroidectomy over a 10-years period. All patients who underwent video-assisted thyroidectomy from June 1998 to June 2009 were considered. The eligibility criteria for video-assisted thyroidectomy are: thyroid nodules < or = 35 mm; estimated thyroid volume < 30 ml; no previous conventional neck surgery and/or radiation therapy; small, low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. A total of 1363 video-assisted thyroidectomies were attempted in the time period considered. Conversion to the conventional procedure was necessary in 7 cases. Thyroid lobectomy was successfully performed in 157 cases, total thyroidectomy in 1175, and completion thyroidectomy in 24. In 126 patients, the central neck nodes were removed through the same access. Simultaneous video-assisted parathyroidectomy, for a parathyroid adenoma, was performed in 42 patients. Pathological studies showed benign disease in 986 cases, papillary thyroid carcinoma in 368 cases, C-cells hyperplasia in 1 case, and medullary microcarcinoma in 1 patients with RET germline mutation. Post-operative complications included 27 transient and 1 definitive recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, 230 transient hypocalcemia, 10 definitive hypoparathyroidism, 4 postoperative hematoma and 5 wound infection.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Pol. A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raffaelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Crea
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Amore
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellantone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: World J Surg. 2008 May;32(5):693-700
references.pmid: 18259807
references.citation: J Am Coll Surg. 2004 Aug;199(2):243-8
references.pmid: 15275880
references.citation: Surgery. 2003 Dec;134(6):849-57
references.pmid: 14668714
references.citation: Surgery. 2001 Dec;130(6):1039-43
references.pmid: 11742335
references.citation: World J Surg. 2004 Dec;28(12):1282-6
references.pmid: 15597231
references.citation: Surgery. 2007 Dec;142(6):944-51; discussion 944-51
references.pmid: 18063080
references.citation: Am J Surg. 2004 Apr;187(4):515-8
references.pmid: 15041502
references.citation: J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2002 Jun;12(3):181-5
references.pmid: 12184903
references.citation: World J Surg. 2008 Jul;32(7):1333-40
references.pmid: 18305997
references.citation: Ann Surg Oncol. 2006 Feb;13(2):182-6
references.pmid: 16411145
references.citation: World J Surg. 2008 Jul;32(7):1325-32
references.pmid: 18327525
references.citation: Head Neck. 2005 Jan;27(1):58-64
references.pmid: 15459914
references.citation: World J Surg. 2006 May;30(5):794-800; discussion 801
references.pmid: 16680593
references.citation: Surgery. 2002 Dec;132(6):1070-3; discussion 1073-4
references.pmid: 12490857
references.citation: J Am Coll Surg. 2002 May;194(5):610-4
references.pmid: 12022601
references.citation: Br J Surg. 2006 Jan;93(1):1-2
references.pmid: 16372392
references.citation: Laryngoscope. 2006 Oct;116(10):1745-8
references.pmid: 17003721
references.citation: Arch Surg. 2002 Mar;137(3):301-4; discussion 305
references.pmid: 11888453
references.citation: World J Surg. 2002 Aug;26(8):972-5
references.pmid: 12016476