[Lateral access in thyroidectomy. Technique and indications]

The technique of thyroidectomy, systematically carried out, by the authors, with a lateral approach since 1987 in thyroid reoperations for benign and malignant relapses and sometimes even in primary operations, is presented. The authors point out that lateral way is both technically advantageous in reoperations and moreover oncologically in prethyroid muscles's malignant involvement, but it does not represent an alternative to median access that, in the first instance, is the elective one. Because of the lateral vascular ligatures, in order to preserve the recurrent nerve, its location is mandatory.