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Abstract Background The single port robotic areolar approach thyroidectomy (SPRA) is a surgical method that removes a thyroid tumor through an incision in the patient’s areola on one side using the da Vinci SP robot system. It is a minimally invasive surgery that reduces the area of detachment under the skin by more than 50% compared to the currently popular bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic thyroidectomy. Methods This study included 100 patients who underwent SPRA at our institution between December 2022 and November 2023 by single surgeon. Results The mean patient age was 42.9±11.6(range, 20-67) years and the mean body-mass index was 23.7±3.4kg/m2(range, 16.4-35.2). The operation types were as follows: total thyroidectomy with or without neck dissection (n=13), lobectomy (n=Rt:52, Lt:32), isthmusectomy (n=2), and completion thyroidectomy (n=1). The mean operation time was 109.6±27.4(range, 75-195). There were no cases of conversion to open surgery. There were no intraoperative complications and two cases of postoperative complications, including bleeding with reoperation in 1 case, and wound complication in one case. Conclusions SPRA robotic thyroidectomy is safe and efficient to be performed in patient with thyroid tumor. Most of the complications were minor and transient, and the mean operation time was similar to previously reported robotic thyroidectomy. SPRA can be considered as a surgical option for the da Vinci SP robotic system using the areola.
S Lee (Wed,) studied this question.