Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy: Review Of 81 Cases In A Single Institute

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy (TOET). Materials and Methods: A total of 81 patients with thyroid nodules underwent TOET in our department from November 2011 to September 2015. The surgical outcomes, cosmetic results, and complications were evaluated. Results: Seventy-nine patients were performed TOET successfully, and 2 cases were transferred to open thyroidectomy due to intraoperative CO2 embolism. The average operation time was 89.038.6 minutes, and intraoperative blood loss was 29.3 +/- 27.6mL. Two cases experienced transient perioral numbness, and 2 cases experienced transient opening mouth pain. Two cases had transient increased saliva when swallowing. Transient anterior cervical region discomfort was found in 3 cases, and postoperative anterior cervical region infection was found in 4 cases. Other complications were not observed in any case. The average postoperative length of stay was 4.77 +/- 2.61 days, and the mean follow-up period was 39.1 +/- 22.6 months. During the follow-up period, there were no long-term complications or recurrent patient, and all the patients were satisfied with the cosmetic effect. Conclusions: TOET is a safe and effective procedure with a low incidence of complications and perfect cosmetic effect for patients with thyroid diseases.