Endoscopic and robotic thyroidectomy: past and future.

After nearly a century of performing a thyroid-ectomy essentially the way it was described by Theodore Kocher in the nineteenth century, the technique has suddenly and rapidly evolved. It can now be accomplished endoscopically in many patients who therefore benefit from the reduced dissection and smaller incisions associated with the approach. While many of the cosmetic, quality of life, and functional improvements have now been documented, an improved understanding of the procedure and the appropriate indications for its application will continue to develop even as the technique itself evolves, and as new approaches emerge.