Comparison of Endoscopic-assisted, Transthoracic Endoscopic, and Conventional Techniques for Thyroidectomy / 中国微创外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the degree of trauma, postoperative pain, and cosmetic outcomes of endoscopic-assisted thyroidectomy (EAT), transthoracic endoscopic thyroidectomy (TET), and conventional thyroidectomy (CT), and to explore the characteristics of EAT and TET. Methods Forty-five patients with thyroid nodules were divided into three groups (n=15 in each) to underwent EAT, TET, or CT. The plasma levels of C-reactive protein(CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?), and T-lymphocyte subgroups (CD3, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+) were determined before and 24 and 72 hours after the operations. The degree of operative trauma was compared after the operation. Postoperative pain and cosmetic outcomes were evaluated by visual analogue score (VAS) and 5-degree evaluation respectively. Results The VAS in the EAT group was 2.2?1.7 and 1.1?1.1 on the first and third day postoperation, which were significantly lower than those in the TET group (3.6?1.4 and 2.2?0.7, respectively; q=3.698, P0.05).Compared to preoperation, the level of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte in the CT group was decreased at 24 hours after the operation (q=4.076, P0.05). The levels of CRP determined at 24 and 72 hours postoperation were both significantly higher than that before the operation in the three groups (EAT group: m=21, P