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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Simultaneous unilateral anterior thoracoscopy with transcervical thyroidectomy for the resection of large mediastinal
Igor Brichkov1, Shintaro Chiba1, Victor Lagmay2
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
Background:
Almost 25% of thyroid goiters have an intrathoracic component. Although the majority of mediastinal goiters may be approached through a cervical approach, up to a third of substernal goiters require a sternotomy or thoracotomy for resection. As an alternative to conventional sternotomy, we herein describe a combined anterior thoracoscopic and transcervical approach to large mediastinal thyroid goiters.
Methods:
Between 2012 and 2015, seven patients with symptomatic thyroid goiters with significant intrathoracic extension were approached via simultaneous cervical exploration and anterior thoracoscopy. Thoracoscopy was performed on the side of maximal goiter extension.
Results:
Simultaneous thoracoscopy and transcervical thyroidectomy was technically successful in all patients. No patients required conversion to open approach and one patient required reoperation for hemorrhage.
Conclusions:
Simultaneous anterior thoracoscopy and cervical exploration is a safe and effective approach to large mediastinal thyroid goiter. Patients with significant intrathoracic goiter extension may benefit from preoperative thoracic surgical evaluation and planned thoracoscopy at the time of thyroidectomy.
