Propensity score-matched analysis of robotic versus endoscopic bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) thyroidectomy in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Purpose: The da Vinci surgical robot system was developed to overcome the weaknesses of endoscopic surgery. However, whether robotic surgery is superior to endoscopic surgery remains uncertain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the surgical and oncologic outcomes between endoscopic and robotic thyroidectomy using bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA). Methods: Between January 2008 and June 2015, papillary thyroid carcinoma patients who underwent thyroidectomy with central neck dissection using endoscopic (n = 480) or robotic (n = 705) BABA were primarily reviewed. We performed 1:1 propensity score matching and 289 matched pairs were yielded. Results: Operation time was significantly longer in the robotic thyroidectomy than in the endoscopic thyroidectomy (184.9 vs. 128.9 min, P < 0.001). A significantly higher number of central lymph nodes (CLNs) were resected in the robotic thyroidectomy than in the endoscopic thyroidectomy (5.3 vs. 4.4, P = 0.003). However, the incidence of other outcomes including hospital stay, postoperative duration, thyroglobulin level, radioactive iodine ablation, hemorrhage, chyle leakage, wound infection, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and loco-regional recurrence did not significantly differ between the endoscopic thyroidectomy and the robotic thyroidectomy. Conclusions: Endoscopic thyroidectomy is comparable with robotic thyroidectomy in view of surgical complications and LRR. Because robotic thyroidectomy resected a larger number of CLNs than did endoscopic thyroidectomy, further long-term follow-up studies will be required to clarify the possible prognostic benefits of robotic thyroidectomy.