A comparative North American experience of robotic thyroidectomy in a thyroid cancer population.
OBJECTIVE
This study seeks to explore the efficacy of robotic thyroidectomy in treating a North American population with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) as compared with the conventional cervical approach.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of our prospectively collected thyroid surgery database was performed. We included all consecutive patients that underwent thyroidectomy for the treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer, performed by a single surgeon.


RESULTS
Twenty-four robotic transaxillary and 35 conventional thyroidectomy procedures were performed. Average size of the tumor was 1.1 ± 0.2 cm in the robotic group and 1.7 ± 0.3 cm in the cervical group (p = 0.16). Average total operative time for the robotic group was 133 ± 65.4 and 119.7 ± 22.5 min in the cervical group (p = 0.34). No robotic cases required conversion. One patient required reoperation for recurrent disease at 24 months follow-up. Both groups had similar blood loss (p = 0.37) and all margins were negative for malignancy on permanent pathology. All patients were discharged home within 24 h. Postoperative stimulated thyroglobulin levels were similar for the two groups (p = 0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
Our experience with robotic transaxillary thyroidectomy confirms this technique is feasible. It is possible to achieve a safe and effective oncologic result in a select group of North American patients with DTC.
Division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA, Snouerl1@jhmi.edu.
Salem I
SI
Noureldine
Nicole R
NR
Jackson
Ralph P
RP
Tufano
Emad
E
Kandil
D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009656:North America; D061646:Operative Time; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012371:Robotics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome