[Bipolar electrothermic coagulation (ligasure bipolar vessel sealing system) in thyroid surgery]

Over the past few years different methods of achieving haemostasis in surgery have been developed. Among these methods, bipolar electrothermal coagulation carried out with the "LigaSure Bipolar Vessel Sealing System" has found numerous applications in some types of abdominal and pelvic surgery, especially when performed laparoscopically, where traditional methods of haemostasis sometimes prove more difficult to perform and are often unsafe. The authors also experimented with the use of electrothermal cautery in thyroid surgery, evaluating its efficacy in achieving haemostasis, as well as in reducing a number of complications such as hypoparathyroidism and recurrent palsy, which can be obtained utilizing the ability of the procedure to produce haemostasis without heat dispersion in the adjacent tissues. Analysing their experience with 67 cases of total thyroidectomy performed with the help of bipolar electrothermal cautery, the authors report a 4.5% incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism and a 1.5% incidence of transient monolateral recurrent lesions. These incidences proved significantly inferior to those reported by the same authors in a recent analysis of 579 total thyroidectomies carried out since 1994. The results, however, were similar to those reported in literature. The authors conclude by confirming the importance of the LigaSure system for haemostasis in thyroid surgery, stressing the fact that the routine use of this method may be limited due to the high cost of the equipment.