RT Journal
A1 Kandil E, Abdel Khalek M, Thomas M, Bellows CF
T1 ARe bilateral axillary incisions needed or is just a single unilateral incision sufficient for robotic-assisted total thyroidectomy?
JF Archives of Surgery
JO Archives of Surgery
YR 2011
FD February 1
VO 146
IS 2
SP 240
OP 241
DO 10.1001/archsurg.2010.323
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.2010.323
AB 
They reported that approaching completion thyroidectomy from the ipsilateral axillary incision would make the dissection challenging because of scarring and difficulty in visualizing the contralateral side. After the publication of this case report,1 a case series reported by Ryu and colleagues2 detailed additional experiences of more than 250 single incision approaches, which help to confirm the validity of this technique. In our own experience, having successfully performed more than 70 such robotic-assisted transaxillary surgical procedures at our institution during the past year, we agree with Landry and colleagues1 that this single incision procedure can be safely performed for thyroid lobectomies and for completion thyroidectomies via separate incision. However, we also believe that total thyroidectomy can be performed safely with this technique with reasonable visualization of the contralateral side. Landry et al1 reported that the operations that were performed on their patient were their fifth and seventh cases of thyroid lobectomy using robotic-assisted transaxillary surgery.