3D laparoscopic revision thyroidectomy through an anterior chest approach: a case report

The detection rate of differentiated thyroid cancers, especially the papillary subtype, is rapidly increasing, and these malignancies have an excellent prognosis. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment, and numerous innovations in surgical techniques have been made in the past decade. Laparoscopic thyroidectomy is being gradually recognized as a safe and effective surgical procedure with good cosmetic results. Revision thyroidectomy is routinely performed via the open approach and rarely via laparoscopy. Three-dimensional laparoscopy offers advantages over two-dimensional laparoscopy in terms of visualization of the operative field and surgical manipulation and has been used at multiple surgical sites, but is rarely used in thyroid surgery. We present the first case of three-dimensional laparoscopic revision thyroidectomy, which was successfully performed through an anterior chest approach in a young, unmarried woman who was pathologically confirmed to have papillary thyroid cancer after an initial laparoscopic partial thyroidectomy performed 10 days prior to the revision surgery.