Introduction Many studies have reported that robot-assisted thyroidectomy was proven to be a safe and feasible method and offer surgical outcomes similar to conventional open or endoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to introduce our novel surgical technique using the da Vinci SP robot system through transaxillary approach.
Methods Ten patients underwent robotic-assisted thyroid lobectomy using the da Vinci SP robot system between December 2018 and April 2019 at Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea. All procedures were performed successfully using the da Vinci SP robot system in two methods (4 gas method and 6 gasless method).
Result All ten patients were female who were diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The mean operation time was 148.7 ± 26.8 minutes. The mean operation time of gasless method was shorter than that of gas method (130.5 ± 14.1 vs. 176.0 ± 12.8 minutes). The mean pain score on the operation day, 1st day, 2nd day and 3rd day was 5.0 ± 1.5, 2.2 ± 1.0, 0.9 ± 0.3, and 0.6 ± 0.5, respectively. All patients were discharged on the third day after operation without any complications.
Conclusion Robot-assisted thyroidectomy with SP system via transaxillary approach is a feasible and safe surgical method with outstanding cosmetic effects. This report is our successful initial surgical experiences. We need more surgical experiences to evaluate surgical outcomes and to verify technical feasibility.