ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety of three-dimensional video-assisted thyroidectomy (3D VAT). Methods During January to April of 2014, 10 cases with unilateral or bilateral thyroid benign diseases , thyroid cancer, or parathyroid lesions were enrolled .The 3D VAT was carried out by using a 10-mm 3D stereoscopic endoscope .Local excision or lobectomy was performed via a 2-4 cm curve skin incision one finger above the sternal notch .In two patients , lobotomy combined with systematic lymphadenectomy was performed when papillary thyroid microcarcinoma was identified during operation . Results All the procedures were accomplished successfully under 3D video-assisted system, without intra-operative abnormal blood loss or conversion to conventional thyroidectomy .The operative time was 30-90 min (61.8 ±22.4 min);the intra-operative blood loss was 1.3-93.0 g (median, 5.2 g).All the patients were followed up for 1-4 months.Neither intra-nor post-operative complications about recurrent laryngeal nerve , superior laryngeal nerve , or parathyroid were observed . Conclusions Preliminary impression emerging from this study seems to suggest that 3D VAT is safe and effective.Compared with 2D surgery, a good perception of depth and easy recognition of anatomic structures are noticeable .