Utility of vessel-sealing systems in thyroid surgery

The LigaSure vessel-sealing system (VSS) represents a new approach to intraoperative ligation. This clinical study retrospectively examined the utility of the VSS in thyroid surgery. In this study, we analyzed 56 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid surgery. Characteristics such as operative duration, the volume of intraoperative hemorrhage, and postoperative course were analyzed and compared between thyroid surgery using the VSS or conventional handtie methods. The present results indicate no significant differences in operative duration, volume of intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative course, or duration of postoperative drainage between surgeries using the VSS or conventional methods. However, the postoperative hospital stay was found to be significantly shorter (p<0.05) with the VSS. No serious postoperative complications were encountered, and no significant differences were observed in the frequency of postoperative complications between methods. The VSS may simplify procedures for thyroid surgery, and hemostasis is effective for both thyroid vessels and thyroid parenchyma. However, further evaluation is warranted to adequately determine the relative merits of the VSS compared to conventional handtie methods.