Complications of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA)

The thyroidectomy is the most frequently executed procedure in head and neck surgery. Since its first description by Kocher, the transverse cervical incision has been the main access to the thyroid site, as it provides broad exposure of the central neck compartment. Despite the meticulous suture of the incision, the development of a scar with variable dimensions is unavoidable and, hence, some patients might not agree to the approach, due to this consequence. The transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular access (TOETVA) gains importance as an alternative to the traditional surgery, since it avoids the formation of visible scars. The objective of this study is to develop a systematic review on the currently available literature to evaluate possible complications related to the TOETVA. The systematic review was based on the databases of Medline, Cochrane library, Embase and Scielo/Lilacs, resulting in the selection of six studies, which were compared in regard of the type of study duration of the study and identified complications. Our study showed that TOETVA is related to complications similar to the ones identified in the conventional approach, such as hematoma, seroma, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypoparathyroidism, surgical site infection. The TOETVA was associated to a higher risk of thermic injury of the skin and mentual nerve paresthesia. Moreover, it was possible to conclude that TOETVA is a safe procedure for well selected patients, with favorable conditions and concerned about the aesthetic outcome. The risk of complications of the procedure should always be explained to those patients.