Transaxillary gasless endoscopic hemithyroidectomy versus conventional open hemithyroidectomy: early single-centre experience.

Conventional open thyroidectomy is defined as a gold standard in thyroid gland disease treatment. However, progressive surgery methods such as endoscopic technique provide better structure visualisation and improved cosmetic effect. Our study aim is to compare conventional open (COH) and endoscopic transaxillary hemithyroidectomy (TAH) and define the learning curve for TAH procedure. We retrospectively analysed 107 COH and 65 TAH cases. Patients' demographic data and surgery results were compared. Also, surgeon learning curve analysis using cumulative sum (CUSUM) was performed for the duration of the surgery. TAH was applied to younger female patients with lower thyroid gland volume. COH group patients were hospitalised for longer in comparison with TAH (p < 0.05). Mean TAH surgery time was longer (78.1 min, SD = 22.6) compared with COH (66.7 min, 15.3) (p < 0.05). Overall complication rate was comparable between groups. There was a tendency towards a lower unintentional parathyroidectomy rate in TAH group. TAH group results showed significantly longer surgery time for patients whose body mass index (BMI) was over 30 (kg/m), compared to whose BMI was below 30 (kg/m) (p = 0.004). Shortest endoscopic surgery time (64.9 ± 12.45 min) was achieved between 41 and 50 cases. CUSUM analysis showed that surgery time decreased after the 30th TAH case. TAH approach compared to COH results in longer surgery time, shorter hospital stay and comparable rate of postoperative complications. However matched pair studies are necessary to clarify the results. After thirty cases, the surgeon became proficient in transaxillary endoscopic thyroid surgery.