Preliminary Experience with Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy and Parathyroidectomy via Vestibular Approach

Abstract

Recently Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) has been applied in surgery with a transoral approach. In most cases, surgeries on a thyroid gland are performed through a cut which always leaves a scar afterwards. The approach to the site of surgical interference with no incision has aesthetic advantages. One advantage of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy is an ability to avoid scars. However, there are many fears of certain negative consequences, such as infection, residual injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and oncologic outcome. During the research, data on 52 patients having undergone thyroidectomy or/and parathyroidectomy via vestibular approach were prospectively studied. The procedure of removing a thyroid gland and parathyroid glands was conducted on the patients. A range of surgeries (including ones for patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal 44) was conducted through remote access incisions. No persistent complications were observed. The average post-surgery Dermatology Life Quality Index constituted 3, which indicates a small influence on a patient’s further state of health and quality of life.