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 89.0 ± 38.6 minutes, and intraoperative blood loss was 29.3 ± 27.6 mL. 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.
Keywords: complications; cosmetic effect; thyroid nodules; thyroidectomy; transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy.