BACKGROUND: Endoscopic surgery has now become a well-established modality for the treatment of various organ diseases. In the present study, we analyzed the surgical results achieved by video-assisted neck surgery (VANS) in thyroid and parathyroid diseases. METHODS: From January 2000 to April 2002, 87 patients (eight males and 79 females) with a mean age of 49 years underwent VANS. The preoperative diagnoses of these patients included 37 benign thyroid tumors, 30 Graves' diseases, 17 parathyroid adenomas and three thyroid cancers. RESULTS: The mean operative time of VANS was 165 min for a hemithyroidectomy, 287 min for a subtotal thyroidectomy, and 157 min for a parathyroidectomy. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 60, 183 and 23 g for a hemithyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, respectively. No conversion from VANS to conventional surgery was experienced. Three patients (3.4%) had temporary palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Otherwise, the postoperative courses were uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: VANS for thyroid and parathyroid diseases was found to be safe and effective. From a cosmetic point of view, a high degree of patient satisfaction was obtained. VANS is thus considered to be an excellent option for selected patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases.
BACKGROUND: Endoscopic surgery has now become a well-established modality for the treatment of various organ diseases. In the present study, we analyzed the surgical results achieved by video-assisted neck surgery (VANS) in thyroid and parathyroid diseases. METHODS: From January 2000 to April 2002, 87 patients (eight males and 79 females) with a mean age of 49 years underwent VANS. The preoperative diagnoses of these patients included 37 benign thyroid tumors, 30 Graves' diseases, 17 parathyroid adenomas and three thyroid cancers. RESULTS: The mean operative time of VANS was 165 min for a hemithyroidectomy, 287 min for a subtotal thyroidectomy, and 157 min for a parathyroidectomy. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 60, 183 and 23 g for a hemithyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, respectively. No conversion from VANS to conventional surgery was experienced. Three patients (3.4%) had temporary palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Otherwise, the postoperative courses were uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: VANS for thyroid and parathyroid diseases was found to be safe and effective. From a cosmetic point of view, a high degree of patient satisfaction was obtained. VANS is thus considered to be an excellent option for selected patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases.