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A comparative North American experience of robotic thyroidectomy in a thyroid cancer population

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Abstract

Purpose

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.

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Acknowledgments

None.

Presentation

The 8th International Conference on Head & Neck Cancer. July 21–25, 2012. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Financial disclosure

The authors have no financial interests in companies or other entities that have an interest in the information included in the contribution. There are no financial disclosures.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Salem I. Noureldine & Ralph P. Tufano

  2. Division of Endocrine and Oncological Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, Room 8510, Box SL-22, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Nicole R. Jackson & Emad Kandil

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Nicole R. Jackson

Authors
  1. Salem I. Noureldine
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  2. Nicole R. Jackson
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  3. Ralph P. Tufano
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  4. Emad Kandil
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emad Kandil.

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Authors’ contributions

Study conception and design: Kandil, Noureldine; acquisition of data: Noureldine, Jackson; analysis and interpretation of data: Kandil, Jackson, Noureldine; drafting of manuscript: Noureldine; and critical revision: Kandil, Tufano.

Synopsis: This study aims 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.

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Noureldine, S.I., Jackson, N.R., Tufano, R.P. et al. A comparative North American experience of robotic thyroidectomy in a thyroid cancer population. Langenbecks Arch Surg 398, 1069–1074 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-013-1123-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-013-1123-0

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