Abstract:
Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates surgical outcome and safety results of conventional (OT)
versus endoscopic transaxillary gasless thyroidectomies (ET).
Material and methods: A systematic literature search was performed. The weighted mean differences or the odd
ratios with corresponding 95% CIs were examined for surgical outcomes and complications. The results were anal ysed using fixed- or random-effects models. The heterogeneity was checked by the Cochran Q test and the extent of
inconsistency was evaluated by the I2
statistic.
Results: Ten studies and 1597 patients were included. All studies found that ET required longer operative time.
Postoperative pain was significantly lower after ET on day 1 and day 7. No statistical difference was found in com plication rates.
Conclusions: ET has disadvantages such as longer surgery time, but it is a feasible and safe procedure with lower
postoperative pain and comparable complication rates to OT. However, good quality prospective randomised studies
are necessary to draw firmer conclusions