Abstract
Background: To compare the safety, advantages and disadvantages of thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) via the bilateral areolar endoscopic approach (BAA) and the conventional open approach (COA).Methods: Eighty-six female patients who underwent thyroidectomy were enrolled and divided into two groups, 42 in the BAA group and 44 in the COA group, according to aesthetic requirements. The operating time, blood loss during surgery, number of dissected lymph nodes, length of hospital stay, drainage removal time and surgical complications between the two surgical approaches were compared. The pain score and cosmetic results of operative incisions were evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS).Results: Patients in the BAA group had significantly less intraoperative blood loss and a significantly shorter scar length (P < 0.001) than those in the COA group. However, the operation time of 97.6 minutes in the BAA group was significantly longer than that in the COA group (76.4 minutes; P < 0.001). Comparison of the number of central lymph nodes (CLNs) dissected, drainage removal time and length of hospital stay revealed no significant differences (P>0.05). Patients in the BAA group experienced significantly less pain than those in the COA group (P<0.001). Similarly, patients were significantly more satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes resulting from the BAA than from the COA (P <0.001).Conclusions: These results show that BAA thyroidectomy exhibits superior advantages in clinical outcomes, such as causing less pain and achieving better cosmetic satisfaction, compared with COA thyroidectomy. Therefore, BAA thyroidectomy is a safe and ideal surgical method for DTC.