Is the superior laryngeal nerve really safe when using harmonic focus in total thyroidectomy? A prospective...

Area of Science:

• Endocrine Surgery
• Surgical Technology
• Thyroid Procedures

Background:

• Harmonic focus (HF) was developed to potentially decrease operative time and complications in thyroid surgery.
• Evaluating novel surgical techniques is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the function of the superior laryngeal nerve and the incidence of postoperative complications between total thyroidectomies performed with HF and conventional ligation (CL).

Main Methods:

• A randomized, single-center, single-blinded study involving patients aged 18 years or older undergoing total thyroidectomy.
• Utilized an ultrasonic dissector for coagulation and cutting in the HF group, versus standard techniques in the CL group.
• Collected and analyzed demographic, surgical, and complication data.

Main Results:

• Operative time was significantly shorter in the HF group compared to the CL group (p=0.01).
• No significant differences were observed in drain necessity, drainage duration, hospitalization duration, or overall postoperative complication rates between the groups (p>0.05).
• Nerve palsy rates were comparable between the HF and CL groups at 6 months.

Conclusions:

• Harmonic focus (HF) is demonstrated to be as safe as the conventional ligation (CL) technique for total thyroidectomy.
• This study is the first to specifically compare these techniques regarding external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve function using laryngostroboscopy.