Minimally invasive surgery for thyroid diseases and thyroid cancer.

This article will review the emergence of minimally invasive thyroidectomy techniques and their applications to thyroid diseases. Minimally invasive surgical techniques for head and neck surgery have recently attracted interest. Furthermore techniques are divided into the mini-incision open, video-assisted, and complete endoscopic. Factors that determine the best operative approach include tumor size, histology, the presence of enlarged lymph nodes and evidence of local-regional invasion. Indications and contraindications for minimally invasive techniques will be discussed. Copyright (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.