Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Robotic thyroidectomy versus conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer: meta-analysis
1Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery,West China Hospital,Sichuan University,Chengdu,China.
Objective:
To conduct a meta-analysis to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer.
Methods:
Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant literature. The evaluated endpoints were intra-operative and post-operative outcomes.
Results:
Twelve eligible, non-randomised comparative studies involving 2513 patients were included, with 923 patients in the robotic thyroidectomy group and 1590 patients in the conventional open thyroidectomy group. Meta-analysis results revealed that robotic thyroidectomy was associated with significantly longer operative time and a lower number of retrieved central lymph nodes, as compared with conventional open thyroidectomy. No significant differences were found between robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy in terms of post-operative outcomes.
Conclusion:
Robotic thyroidectomy appears to be a feasible and safe surgical procedure for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. However, more high-quality randomised clinical trials should be undertaken to confirm these findings.
