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Purpose@#Bilateral axillo-breast approach robotic parathyroidectomy (BABA-RP) aims to remove overactive or enlarged parathyroid glands with no visible neck collar incision. In this study, we compared the safety and surgical outcomes of BABA-RP vs. those of an open surgery group to ascertain whether BABA-RP is a safe and feasible surgical approach for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). @*Methods@#This single-institution retrospective cohort study included 74 patients with primary HPT who underwent open parathyroidectomy (n = 37) or BABA-RP (n = 37) at our institution between November 2014 and March 2023. Patient demographics, biochemical cure rates, operative time, blood loss rates, and complication rates were examined and compared. @*Results@#The patients in the BABA-RP group were younger and had a longer mean operative time. Regarding complication events, 2 patients in the open surgery group and 1 patient in the BABA-RP group had transient hypoparathyroidism. All 74 patients achieved biochemical cure at <6 months, regardless of the approach used. Two patients in the BABA-RP group and 1 patient in the open surgery group had carcinoma on surgical pathology. All 3 patients with parathyroid carcinoma remained recurrence-free at 1-year follow-up. @*Conclusion@#Compared with the open procedure, BABA-RP is a safe and feasible procedure that provides an excellent biochemical cure rate for patients with pHPT and has superior cosmetic benefits with equivalent surgical outcomes.
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Purpose@#Current clinical practices favor less or no thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression for low- to intermediate-risk thyroid cancer patients who receive thyroid lobectomy. The association of TSH suppression on healthrelated quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients after thyroid lobectomy is not well studied. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of TSH suppression on patient HR-QoL after thyroid lobectomy. @*Methods@#This study included patients enrolled in an ongoing, multicenter, randomized controlled study investigating the effects of TSH suppression. Patients were randomized to either the low-TSH group (TSH target range, 0.3–1.99 μIU/ mL) or the high-TSH group (TSH target range, 2.0–7.99 μIU/mL). The HR-QoL, hyperthyroidism symptom, and depression symptom questionnaires performed preoperatively and 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively were evaluated. @*Results@#Total of 669 patients (low-TSH group, 340; high-TSH group, 329) were included. Although total HR-QoL score changes were not different between the 2 groups, the high-TSH group had a significantly higher score in the physical domain at postoperative 3 months (P = 0.046). The 2 groups did not have significant differences in hyperthyroidism and depression scores. @*Conclusion@#In the short-term postoperative period, the physical HR-QoL scores in thyroid lobectomy patients were better when they did not receive TSH suppression. This study suggests the importance of considering HR-QoL when setting TSH suppression targets in thyroid lobectomy patients.
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Purpose@#As thyroid cancer patients are experiencing longer disease-free survival periods, evaluating their quality of life after surgery has become crucial. However, studies on this topic have primarily focused on Western populations, leaving a gap in understanding the Korean patient population’s experiences and needs. This study aims to address this gap and provide insights into the quality of life of thyroid cancer patients in Korea. @*Methods@#This cross-sectional study evaluated the quality of life of Korean thyroid cancer patients who underwent thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy. Patients were surveyed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30, ver. 3.0) during outpatient clinic visits from January to September 2015. The results were analyzed by comparing them to scores of the general population and based on the time elapsed since surgery. This approach allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the quality-of-life outcomes in this patient population. @*Results@#The study found that thyroidectomy had a notable impact on patients’ role and cognitive functions. Patients also experienced worsened symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, and constipation, which improved over time and returned to normal levels. However, there were no significant changes in other functions and symptoms after surgery. @*Conclusion@#The study’s findings showed that thyroidectomy had a relatively minor impact on the functional and symptomatic well-being of patients. Therefore, the results suggest that thyroid surgery may be a safe and effective treatment option for thyroid cancer patients seeking to maintain a good quality of life.
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Lateral neck lymph node dissection (LND) along with total thyroidectomy is the standard treatment for thyroid cancer patients with metastases to the lateral neck lymph nodes. In general, lateral neck LND removes lymph nodes located at levels II to V ipsilateral to the thyroid cancer and preserves the spinal accessory nerve, internal jugular vein, and sternomastoid muscle during surgery. This video article was written to introduce the robotic bilateral axillo-breast approach for lateral neck LND and to describe the surgical method
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Background@#Heart rate (HR) monitored by a wearable device (WD) has demonstrated its clinical feasibility for thyrotoxicosis subjects. However, the association of HR monitored by wearables with hypothyroidism has not been examined. We assessed the association between serum thyroid hormone concentration and three WD-HR parameters in hypothyroid subjects. @*Methods@#Forty-four subjects scheduled for radioactive iodine therapy (RAI Tx) after thyroid cancer surgery were included. Thirty subjects were prepared for RAI Tx by thyroid hormone withdrawal (hypothyroidism group) and 14 subjects by recombinant human thyrotropin (control group). Three WD-HR parameters were calculated from the HR data collected during rest, during sleep, and from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM, respectively. We analyzed the changes in conventionally measured resting HR (On-site rHR) and WDHR parameters relative to thyroid hormone levels. @*Results@#Serum free thyroxine (T4) levels, On-site rHR, and WD-HR parameters were lower in the hypothyroid group than in the control group at the time of RAI Tx. WD-HR parameters also reflected minute changes in free T4 levels. A decrease in On-site rHR and WD-HR parameters by one standard deviation (On-site rHR, approximately 12 bpm; WD-HR parameters, approximately 8 bpm) was associated with a 0.2 ng/dL decrease in free T4 levels (P<0.01) and a 2-fold increase of the odds ratio of hypothyroidism (P<0.01). WD-HR parameters displayed a better goodness-of-fit measure (lower quasi-information criterion value) than On-site rHR in predicting the hypothyroidism. @*Conclusion@#This study identified WD-HR parameters as informative and easy-to-measure biomarkers to predict hypothyroidism.
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Background@#Postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy is recommended for patients with intermediate- and high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer to prevent the recurrence of thyroid cancer. With the recent increase in small thyroid cancer cases, the extent of resection during surgery has generally decreased. Therefore, questions have been raised about the efficacy and long-term side effects of TSH suppression therapy in patients who have undergone a lobectomy. @*Methods@#This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which 2,986 patients with papillary thyroid cancer are randomized into a high-TSH group (intervention) and a low-TSH group (control) after having undergone a lobectomy. The principle of treatment includes a TSH-lowering regimen aimed at TSH levels between 0.3 and 1.99 μIU/mL in the low-TSH group. The high-TSH group targets TSH levels between 2.0 and 7.99 μIU/mL. The dose of levothyroxine will be adjusted at each visit to maintain the target TSH level. The primary outcome is recurrence-free survival, as assessed by neck ultrasound every 6 to 12 months. Secondary endpoints include disease-free survival, overall survival, success rate in reaching the TSH target range, the proportion of patients with major cardiovascular diseases or bone metabolic disease, the quality of life, and medical costs. The follow-up period is 5 years. @*Conclusion@#The results of this trial will contribute to establishing the optimal indication for TSH suppression therapy in low-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients by evaluating the benefit and harm of lowering TSH levels in terms of recurrence, metabolic complications, costs, and quality of life.
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Background@#Postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy is recommended for patients with intermediate- and high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer to prevent the recurrence of thyroid cancer. With the recent increase in small thyroid cancer cases, the extent of resection during surgery has generally decreased. Therefore, questions have been raised about the efficacy and long-term side effects of TSH suppression therapy in patients who have undergone a lobectomy. @*Methods@#This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which 2,986 patients with papillary thyroid cancer are randomized into a high-TSH group (intervention) and a low-TSH group (control) after having undergone a lobectomy. The principle of treatment includes a TSH-lowering regimen aimed at TSH levels between 0.3 and 1.99 μIU/mL in the low-TSH group. The high-TSH group targets TSH levels between 2.0 and 7.99 μIU/mL. The dose of levothyroxine will be adjusted at each visit to maintain the target TSH level. The primary outcome is recurrence-free survival, as assessed by neck ultrasound every 6 to 12 months. Secondary endpoints include disease-free survival, overall survival, success rate in reaching the TSH target range, the proportion of patients with major cardiovascular diseases or bone metabolic disease, the quality of life, and medical costs. The follow-up period is 5 years. @*Conclusion@#The results of this trial will contribute to establishing the optimal indication for TSH suppression therapy in low-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients by evaluating the benefit and harm of lowering TSH levels in terms of recurrence, metabolic complications, costs, and quality of life.
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Background@#The use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroid surgery to preserve recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) function has been widely accepted. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of IONM in reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer patients to help identify the RLN and prevent vocal cord palsy (VCP). @*Methods@#We analyzed 121 consecutive patients (with IONM group, 48 patients; without IONM group, 73 patients) who underwent reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer after total thyroidectomy from January 2009 to March 2019 in our institution without VCP due to previous operations. Data including age, sex, number of previous operations, histologic subtype of the malignancy at the initial operation, operation time, RLNs at risk, difficulty of RLN identification, surgical procedure, VCP, and other postoperative complications were reviewed. Vocal cord movement evaluations were performed preoperatively and at 2 weeks postoperatively to evaluate RLN function. In patients with VCP, additional evaluations were performed. VCP exceeding 12 months after surgery was considered permanent VCP. @*Results@#VCP was observed in six (12.5%) and 16 (21.9%) patients with and without IONM (P=0.189). Transient and permanent VCP were found in three (6.3%) and three (6.3%) patients with IONM (P=0.098 and P=0.982, respectively) versus in 12 (16.4%) and four (5.5%) patients without IONM. @*Conclusion@#The incidence of transient VCP seems to be lower in reoperations with IONM; however, there was no statistical significances. Further study will be needed to ascertain the efficacy of IONM in reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer patients.
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Background@#The use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroid surgery to preserve recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) function has been widely accepted. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of IONM in reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer patients to help identify the RLN and prevent vocal cord palsy (VCP). @*Methods@#We analyzed 121 consecutive patients (with IONM group, 48 patients; without IONM group, 73 patients) who underwent reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer after total thyroidectomy from January 2009 to March 2019 in our institution without VCP due to previous operations. Data including age, sex, number of previous operations, histologic subtype of the malignancy at the initial operation, operation time, RLNs at risk, difficulty of RLN identification, surgical procedure, VCP, and other postoperative complications were reviewed. Vocal cord movement evaluations were performed preoperatively and at 2 weeks postoperatively to evaluate RLN function. In patients with VCP, additional evaluations were performed. VCP exceeding 12 months after surgery was considered permanent VCP. @*Results@#VCP was observed in six (12.5%) and 16 (21.9%) patients with and without IONM (P=0.189). Transient and permanent VCP were found in three (6.3%) and three (6.3%) patients with IONM (P=0.098 and P=0.982, respectively) versus in 12 (16.4%) and four (5.5%) patients without IONM. @*Conclusion@#The incidence of transient VCP seems to be lower in reoperations with IONM; however, there was no statistical significances. Further study will be needed to ascertain the efficacy of IONM in reoperation for recurrent thyroid cancer patients.
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Purpose@#The aim of this study was to compare the large multi-institutional data of surgical outcomes of bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic (RT) and endoscopic thyroidectomy (ET) and to evaluate the merits of robotic thyroidectomy. @*Methods@#From 2004 to 2015, 1,029 patients underwent BABA ET, and from 2008 to 2015, 2003 patients underwent BABA RT in 3 large volume centers in Korea. Two groups were retrospectively compared in terms of clinicopathologic characteristics, complications, surgical completeness, and long-term outcomes using propensity score matching analysis. @*Results@#Both groups had similar demographic characteristics including age, sex, tumor size, pathologic stage, and hospital stay after matching. Each group had similar rate of transient hypoparathyroidism, however, ET showed significantly higher rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism (ET 5.2% vs. RT 2.3%, P = 0.05), and transient vocal cord palsy (ET 14.4% vs. RT 9.1%, P = 0.006). Total operation time was longer in the ET group irrespective of surgical extents, including lobectomy (P = 0.016), total thyroidectomy (P = 0.031), and total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection (P = 0.019). The rate of patients with off-Tg under 1.0 ng/mL after 1st ablation was significantly higher in RT than ET group (ET 64.6% vs. RT 92.7%, P < 0.001). In long-term follow-up of cancer patients, 1.4% experienced recurrence after ET (10 cases), while 0.3% cases experienced recurrence after RT (5 cases) (P < 0.001). @*Conclusion@#Both ET and RT can be safe and effective methods to treat thyroid diseases. However, the application of robotic system may help to overcome the limitations of the instruments and surgeon’s skills.