Expense of Robotic Thyroidectomy

Abstract

In the early part of the 20th century, our surgical forebears converted a once reviled procedure into a common, low-risk endeavor.¹ Thyroidectomy has become exceptionally safe, with a rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism of less than 2%, the frequency of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury at approximately 1%, and mortality well less than 1% in high-volume surgical practices.² Little has fundamentally changed during this time for the surgical approach and techniques used in thyroidectomy. Because technology has progressed and techniques have been refined, modern thyroidectomy can often be safely completed through small 3- to 6-cm collar incisions. Standard open thyroidectomy (ST) is the benchmark for treatment of benign and malignant thyroid disease.