Prospective Cohort Study - Prospective cohort study of parathyroid function and quality of life after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer

Q: What is the study’s main objective?

To compare robot-assisted thyroidectomy and open thyroidectomy in a prospective cohort, focusing on postoperative hypoparathyroidism rates, efficacy, and quality of life.

Q: How were patients assigned and what surgical techniques were compared?

The study prospectively enrolled 306 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma into RT and OT groups. RT used super-meticulous capsular dissection, while OT used traditional meticulous capsular dissection.

Q: Which postoperative outcomes differed significantly between RT and OT?

Transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism and transient hypocalcemia differed significantly between groups. Multiple quality-of-life domains and scar outcomes also showed significant differences.

Sep 24, 2026

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Prospective cohort research compares robot-assisted thyroidectomy with open thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, emphasizing postoperative hypoparathyroidism risk, clinical efficacy, and patient quality of life. The study enrolls 306 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients, dividing them into RT and OT groups using super-meticulous capsular dissection versus traditional capsular dissection. Outcomes include transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism, transient hypocalcemia, and multiple validated scales for swallowing, vision, neck impairment, general health, scars, and related domains. RT showed superior protection of parathyroid function and improved QoL.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Materials and surgical context

Outcomes assessment scales

Corresponding information and publication details

’Prospective Cohort Study Prospective cohort study of parathyroid function and quality of life after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer: robotic surgery vs. open surgery Xiangquan Qin, MM, Jia Luo, BS, Jing Ma, BS, Xiaozheng Cao, BS, Jinjin Zhao, BS, Jun Jiang, MD, Yi Zhang, MD, Lingjuan Zeng, BS* , Linjun Fan, MD* Objective: To compare robot-assisted thyroidectomy (RT) and open thyroidectomy (OT) through a prospective cohort study focusing on the rate of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, efﬁcacy, and quality of life (QoL) . Summary background data: Hypoparathyroidism is a frequent complication after thyroidectomy. Reducing the risk of hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy is a crucial and difﬁcult task for thyroid surgeons. Methods: We prospectively enroled 306 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma into an RT group and OT group. The former used“super-meticulous” capsular dissection) and the latter used traditional meticulous capsular dissection. Patients were evaluated by scales [Short Form (SF)-36, Visual Impairment Scale (VIS), Swallowing Impairment Scale (SIS), Neck Impairment Scale (NIS), Scar questionnaire (SCAR-Q)] . Results: The rates of transient hypoparathyroidism, permanent hypoparathyroidism, and transient hypocalcemia after surgery in the OT group and RT group were signiﬁcantly different (P < 0.001) . SIS and VIS scores in the two groups were signiﬁcantly different (P < 0.001) . SF-36 showed signiﬁcant differences (P < 0.001) in the subsections of “physiological function”, “body pain”, “general health”, “vitality”, “social function”, “role emotional”, and “mental health” between the two groups. SCAR-Q showed that the length and appearance of scars showed signiﬁcant differences between the two groups. Conclusions: RT with Super-meticulous capsular dissection can protect parathyroid function and improve postoperative QoL, and could be a new option for robot-assisted surgery against thyroid cancer. Keywords: hypoparathyroidism, quality of life, robot surgery, super-meticulous capsular dissection (SMCD), thyroidectomy Introduction Thyroid cancer (TC) has a high incidence, and an increasing number of young individuals are suffering from it[1] . Neck scarsand related complications resulting from conventional open thyroidectomy (OT) can affect the postoperative quality of life (QoL) of patients[2] . As a common complication after thyroidectomy, hypoparathyroidism is caused by intraoperative injury to the blood supply[3] or inadvertent removal of the parathyroid glands (PGs)[4] . Permanent hypoparathyroidism often leads to impaired postoperative QoL, which is often seriously underestimated[5] . Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Southwest Hospital, the First Afﬁliated Hospital of the Army Military Medical University, Gaotanyan Street 29, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400038, China Sponsorships or competing interests that maybe relevant to content are disclosed atthe end of this article. *Corresponding author. Address: Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Southwest Hospital, the First Afﬁliated Hospital of the Army Military Medical University, Gaotanyan Street 29, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400038, China. E-mail:ﬂ[j212@126.com](j212@126.com) (L. Fan), [and E-mail: zenglingjuan213@163.com](and E-mail: zenglingjuan213@163.com) (L. Zeng). Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work, even for commercial purposes, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. International Journal of Surgery (2023) 109:3974–3982 Received 12 June 2023; Accepted 21 August 2023 Published online 26 September 2023 [http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JS9.0000000000000725](http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JS9.0000000000000725) HIGHLIGHTS • We prospecti

FAQs

What is the study’s main objective?

To compare robot-assisted thyroidectomy and open thyroidectomy in a prospective cohort, focusing on postoperative hypoparathyroidism rates, efficacy, and quality of life.

How were patients assigned and what surgical techniques were compared?

The study prospectively enrolled 306 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma into RT and OT groups. RT used super-meticulous capsular dissection, while OT used traditional meticulous capsular dissection.

Which postoperative outcomes differed significantly between RT and OT?

Transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism and transient hypocalcemia differed significantly between groups. Multiple quality-of-life domains and scar outcomes also showed significant differences.

Sep 24, 2026

Upload by Guten tag