Preliminary results from minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Minimally invasive video-assisted gasless thyroidectomy (MIVAT) has mainly been described in Italy and has been demonstrated to be a safe procedure with additional advantages regarding cosmetic results and postoperative outcome. The aim of this work is to analyze our preliminary results from minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy. DESIGN AND SETTING Retrospective study at the Head and Neck Surgery Service of Hospital Ana Costa, Santos. METHODS Twelve patients underwent hemithyroidectomy and another three underwent total thyroidectomy by means of minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy between June and September 2004. Gender, age, goiter volume, major diameter of the dominant nodule, duration of surgery, pain complaints during the first postoperative day, length of hospital stay, cosmetic result and complications were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS All the patients were women, with median age of 34. The median goiter volume was 16.5 ml, and the median major diameter of the nodule was 2.3 cm. Ten patients reported mild pain at the surgical site. The median scar size was 2.0 cm and all patients considered the cosmetic results excellent. The median duration of surgery was 55 minutes, all patients were discharged on the first postoperative day, and there were no complications. CONCLUSIONS The outcome from minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy is good in terms of cosmetic results, analgesia and postoperative recovery. The scar is shorter than in the conventional procedure.