The Novel Transvestibule Approach for Endoscopic Thyroidectomy: A Case Series

OBJECT To evaluate the feasibility of NOTES for thyroid by the transvestibule approach. METHODS Six patients diagnosed with benign thyroid diseases were enrolled and underwent transvestibule endoscopic thyroidectomy in our hospital from October 2013 to September 2014. RESULTS All 6 patients completed transvestibule endoscopic thyroidectomy successfully with no conversion to open surgery. The mean operation time was 122 minutes (100 to 150 min). The average blood loss during surgery was 30 mL (10 to 40 mL). The pathologic diagnosis coincided with the preoperative diagnosis, which was 1 case of thyroid adenoma and 5 cases of thyroid goiters. The mean length of hospital stay was 8.2 days (8 to 10 d). No severe complications were reported during the 3 to 13 months' follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Transvestibule endoscopic thyroidectomy is feasible, with a satisfactory cosmetic effect; yet, further improvement of surgical techniques are required on account of the complexity of the surgical procedure and the prolonged operation time.