title: Initial experience with a gasless unilateral axillo-breast or axillary approach endoscopic thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: comparison with conventional open thyroidectomy.
abstract: The efficacy of various endoscopic thyroidectomy has not been determined for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). We compared 31 consecutive patients with PTMC who underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy by a gasless unilateral axillo-breast or axillary approach, and the 36 PTMC patients who underwent conventional open thyroid lobectomy from August 2005 to December 2008. There were more female patients (P=0.004) in the endoscopic group, and the mean age of endoscopic group was younger than that of the open thyroidectomy group (P=0.006). The entire endoscopic thyroidectomy was successfully completed in all the patients. The operative time was longer for those undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy (P<0.001). The complication rate did not differ between the 2 groups. The cosmetic satisfaction, as evaluated by questionnaire, was greater in the endoscopic group (P<0.001). Endoscopic thyroidectomy by a gasless unilateral axillo-breast or axillary approach for selected cases of PTMC is a feasible, safe, and cosmetically superior procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. kytae@hanyang.ac.kr
authors.forename: Kyung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tae
authors.forename: Yong Bae
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Seok Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Kyung Rae
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Sun
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla / Q000601:surgery*; D001940:Breast / Q000601:surgery*; D002277:Carcinoma; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome