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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
[Transoral resection of thyroid cancer metastasis to retropharyngeal lymph node]
L Laccourreye1, R Breheret, V Rohmer
1Service d'ORL et de chirurgie cervicofaciale, CHU d'Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49933 Angers cedex 9, France. lalaccourreye@chu-angers.fr
Objectives:
Retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma is uncommon. Traditional extirpative procedures include cervical, cervical-parotid, and transmandibular approaches. The authors report the case of a patient with a retropharyngeal node metastasis originating from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland that was successfully removed by a transoral approach.
Method:
A 49-year-old man presented for removal of a retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis measuring 21 mm x 27 mm from papillary thyroid carcinoma. Surgical excision was performed through a transoral approach using a surgical navigation system to assess the location of the node precisely.
Result:
The postoperative course was uneventful with return to a normal diet on the first postoperative day and hospital discharge on the second postoperative day. Three months after surgery, TSH-stimulated thyroglobulin was undetectable.
Conclusion:
The transoral approach to retropharyngeal space is a reliable procedure with low morbidity compared to other approaches. The limited surgical access provided by this approach should limit its use to removal of well-circumscribed lesions not invading adjacent structures.
