The Value Of Da Vinci Robotic Thyroidectomy Versus Conventional Open Thyroidectomy For Thyroid Cancer And A Comparative Study

Objective:To analyze the indicators after thyroidectomy under the da Vinci robot-assisted versus traditional open thyroidectomy,to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each of the two procedures,and to evaluate the efficacy of thyroid surgery performed with the da Vinci robot.Methods:Patients with high preoperative suspicion of malignancy,with a strong requirement for a scar-free neck and who voluntarily opted for da Vinci robotic thyroid surgery in the general surgery glandular ward of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from June 2018 to March 2020 were included in the trial group(BABA approach),and patients who opted for open surgery(who requested traditional open surgery and signed a consent form for surgery)in the same period were included in the control group.The clinical indicators of the two groups were recorded and followed up with the THYCA-QOL questionnaire scores at 3,6 and 9 months after surgery.Statistical methods:SPSS 26.0 software was used for data analysis.Normally distributed measures were expressed as t-test for comparison between groups;non-normally distributed measures were expressed as P50(P25,P75)and Mann-Whitney U-test for comparison between groups;count data were expressed as n(%)and 2-test for comparison between groups.Multiple linear regression with stepwise regression was used to screen the independent variables to analyse the relationship between scores and surgical modality at 3,6 and 9 months of follow-up.p<0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference.Results:Patients in the robotic group were younger,had lower scores at 3,6 and 9 months follow-up than the conventional group,and had a higher level of education than the conventional group,but the differences were statistically significant(all p<0.05)for length of surgery,pain score at 24 h,total postoperative drainage and cost of surgery.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender,BMI,maximum tumour diameter,tumour location,tumour location,invasion of the perineum,intraoperative bleeding,pain score 6h,pain score 12h,pain score 48h,pain score 1 week,days with drainage tube and days in hospital(all P>0.05).The post-operative follow-up was a mixed bag of localised complications.The postoperative follow-up was free of local recurrence,lymph node metastases,or secondary surgery.Conclusion:The da Vinci robotic thyroid surgery is safe and feasible for suitable patients,and the post-operative recovery is similar to that of traditional open surgery with good cosmetic results,significantly reducing the patient’s psychological burden and improving the patient’s post-operative quality of life,making it worthy of widespread promotion.With advances in technology and surgical instruments,operative time and cost will no longer be a concern for patients choosing robotic surgery.