title: Surgical outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy vs. conventional open thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to compare the surgical outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy (RT) using bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) with conventional open thyroidectomy (OT) in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2009 and December 2013, 815 patients who had received thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma were enrolled. Of these, 126 patients received RT and 689 patients underwent OT. Age, gender, body mass index, extent of surgery, tumor size, multiplicity, bilaterality, extrathyroidal extension, and tumor stage were used for the propensity score matching analysis. One hundred and nine patients were selected in each group, and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RT group showed a significantly longer operating time (290.6 ± 74.4 vs. 107.9 ± 30.8 min, P < 0.001). However, the mean hospital stay after surgery (3.6 ± 0.8 vs. 3.4 ± 1.2 days, P = 0.293), postoperative complication rates (major and minor, P = 0.754 and P = 0.852), and pain score (postoperative day, P = 0.669; postoperative day 1, P = 0.952) were comparable between the two groups. There was no difference in the number of metastatic lymph nodes, but the mean number of retrieved lymph nodes in the RT group was lesser than that in the OT group (3.5 ± 3.5 vs. 5.3 ± 5.2, P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Robotic thyroidectomy via the BABA may be a safe and acceptable surgical technique. But, further development that resolves the limitation of central node dissection is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Kyung Hee University Hospital, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Nam
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. pwsmd@hanmail.net.|Department of Thyroid-Endocrine Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea. pwsmd@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Won Seo
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.|Kyung Hee University Hospital, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.|Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, 892 Dongnam-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Ah
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.|Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, 892 Dongnam-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Yoon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061646:Operative Time; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057216:Propensity Score; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Robotic surgical procedure; Thyroid neoplasm; Thyroidectomy; Treatment outcome