[Endoscopic thyroid surgery: the past, the present, and the future]

Thyroid diseases are much more common in women than in men. The traditional open thyroidectomy brings almost patients significant visible scars in the anterior neck. The demand for cosmesis after surgery promotes the occurrence and development of endoscopic techniques. Various endoscopic techniques were designed to minimize the visible scar and promote the rehabilitation after surgery. In order to achieve these, two distinct ideas have developed. One is committed to shorten the length of surgical incision as much as possible. The other is to develop external cervical approaches, using endoscopy and(or) robotic assisted techniques, leaving the original visible neck scar in easily and well hidden area of the body. For strictly selected patients, these techniques achieve both therapeutic and cosmetic results. Although the indication of endoscopic thyroid surgery has been expanding constantly, the surgical trauma and the radical effect of malignant tumor are also controversial.