Meta-analysis Comparison of Bilateral Axillo-Breast Approach Robotic Thyroidectomy and Conventional Thyroidectomy

Despite gaining popularity, bilateral axillo-breast approach robotic thyroidectomy (BABA RT) remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of BABA RT compared with open thyroidectomy (OT) in thyroid disease.

A literature search was conducted using various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, up to February 2018. Outcomes of interest included patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, adverse events, complications, and surgical completeness.

A total of 11 publications including 2733 patients (1070 in the BABA RT and 1663 in the open group) were finally selected for the meta-analysis. BABA RT was associated with an equivalent complication rate, including transient and permanent hypocalcemia, transient and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, bleeding, chyle leakage, and seroma, as well as surgical outcomes including tumor size, length of hospital stay, total drain amount, and pain score. BABA RT was also associated with an equivalent surgical completeness, including total dose of radioactive iodine, proportion of stimulated thyroglobulin (sTg) <1.0 ng/mL, and level of sTg. Moreover, BABA RT involved longer operative times (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 110.13; P < .00001), smaller number of retrieved lymph nodes(WMD = -1.26, P = .003), and more cost (WMD = 5811.18; P < .00001) compared with OT.

BABA RT is safe and feasible and provides similar perioperative outcomes and complications when compared with OT. However, BABA RT was associated with longer operating time, fewer retrieved lymph nodes, and more cost. Randomized clinical trials with large samples and longer follow-up data are needed to more rigorously examine this effect.