Transoral robotic thyroidectomy: a preliminary report of 5 cases in China

Abstract

Objective To explore the feasibility of transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) and present the experience and lessons from the initial 5 consecutive patients. Methods From Sep. to Dec.2017, we performed TORT at Beijing United Family hospital using three intraoral ports for the da Vinci system′s three robotic arms. Results Among five patients (mean age 30 years; mean tumor size 2.0 cm), four underwent unilateral thyroid lobectomies and one did total thyroidectomy with or without central neck dissection. Three patients had papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), one had a follicular thyroid carcinoma and one had thyroid adenoma. The mean surgical time was 343 min. The mean number of retrieved central lymph nodes in the PTC patients was 8.7. There were no observed transient or permanent vocal cord palsy and hypocalcemia postoperatively. However, paresthesia of the lower lip and the chin was observed in the first three patients and one patient had skin flap first degree burn due to lens. Conclusions TORT is feasible for selected patients and would be a potential alternative approach for scarless thyroid surgery. Key words: Transoral; Robotic surgical procedure; Thyroidectomy; Thyroid carcinoma