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Updated: Aug 28, 2025
Gasless Endoscopic Thyroidectomy via the Trans-Axillary Approach
Published on: September 15, 2023
Unilateral axilo-breast approach (UABA) with gas insufflation versus open conventional hemithyroidectomy: A
David Saavedra-Pérez1, Marti Manyalich1, Paula Domínguez1
1Unidad de Endocrinología Médico-Quirúrgica, Cirugía Endocrina, Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Instituto Clínic de Enfermedades Digestivas y Metabólicas (ICMDiM), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universidad de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
The objective of this study was to compare with the conventional open approach, the surgical and aesthetic results of endoscopic thyroidectomy via unilateral axillo-breast approach (UABA) with gas insufflation in patients with a unilateral thyroid nodule.
Methods:
Between August 2017 and August 2020, a prospective comparative cohort study was carried out in patients proposed for hemithyroidectomy. The patients were assigned to one type of approach (Open or Endoscopic) in a successive manner. Surgical results and aesthetic satisfaction at hospital discharge and during the 12-month follow-up were evaluated and compared between both groups.
Results:
A total of 200 patients were included in the study: 100 for the Open approach and 100 for the Endoscopic. The baseline patient characteristics were similar between both groups. Total operative time was longer in the Endoscopic approach, due to the time required for subcutaneous dissection (the hemithyroidectomy time was similar in both groups). There was no significant difference in the frequency of major complications. The length of hospital stay was longer (for 1 day) in the Endoscopic group. The aesthetic satisfaction of the patients was significantly higher in the Endoscopic than in the Open group (p < 0.001), at hospital discharge and at 12-month follow-up.
Conclusion:
UABA with gas insufflation for hemithyroidectomy represents a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of unilateral benign thyroid pathologies.
