Robotic thyroidectomy versus conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer: meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a meta-analysis to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant literature. The evaluated endpoints were intra-operative and post-operative outcomes.

RESULTS

Twelve eligible, non-randomised comparative studies involving 2513 patients were included, with 923 patients in the robotic thyroidectomy group and 1590 patients in the conventional open thyroidectomy group. Meta-analysis results revealed that robotic thyroidectomy was associated with significantly longer operative time and a lower number of retrieved central lymph nodes, as compared with conventional open thyroidectomy. No significant differences were found between robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy in terms of post-operative outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Robotic thyroidectomy appears to be a feasible and safe surgical procedure for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. However, more high-quality randomised clinical trials should be undertaken to confirm these findings.