Bilateral axillo-breast approach robotic thyroidectomy: Review of a single surgeon’s consecutive 317 cases

Abstract

Background: Bilateral axillo-breast approach robotic thyroidectomy (BABA RT) is one of the most popular remote-access approaches for thyroid surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of BABA RT. Methods: Medical records of patients who underwent BABA RT between July 2008 and July 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Surgeries were performed by one surgeon at one institution. Clinicopathological features and postoperative surgical outcomes were evaluated. Results: A total of 317 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 40.0±9.7 years, and 287 (90.5%) were female. The mean tumor size was 1.02 cm. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was most commonly seen (n=282, 88.8%), followed by benign nodules (n=33, 10.5%) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (n=2, 0.6%). Total thyroidectomy was performed in 202 (63.7%) patients, while unilateral lobectomy was performed in 113 (35.6%). Two patients (0.6%) had transient vocal cord palsy, but none showed permanent vocal cord palsy. Thirty-four (16.8%) patients developed hypoparathyroidism, 33 (16.3%) were transient and 1 (0.5%) was permanent. The mean operation time for total thyroidectomy and lobectomy was 264.9±52.4 and 203.4±47.6 min, respectively. A decrease in operation time in total thyroidectomy was observed in 49–51 cases (P=0.015). Four patients (1.4%) had local recurrence during the median follow-up of 61±23 months. Conclusions: BABA RT can be performed safely in selected patients with thyroid nodules. The learning curve duration for BABA RT was 49–51 cases of total thyroidectomy.