The Impact of Minimally Invasive Video-Assisted Thyroidectomy in Thyroid Cancer Patients: Retrospective Analysis of Safety Profile and Postoperative Pain.

Aim: This study investigates the safety profile and postoperative pain in thyroid cancer (TC) patients who underwent conventional open thyroidectomy (COT) and minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT).

Methods: This retrospective analysis included 119 TC patients treated in our hospital between December 2018 and January 2022. Of these patients, 59 cases received COT (control group) and 60 underwent MIVAT (research group). Various surgical indices (e.g., incision length, intraoperative blood loss, stitch removal time, and hospitalization time), postoperative adverse events (hypocalcemia, secondary bleeding, incision infection, and transient postoperative swallowing discomfort based on subjective complaints), postoperative pain relief time, and degree of surgical trauma were comparatively analyzed. Furthermore, preoperative mortality and morbidity risk assessment were performed using a modified Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the Enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM), while postoperative pain severity was determined using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Results: The research group demonstrated significantly smaller incision length (p < 0.001), reduced intraoperative bleeding (p < 0.001), shorter stitch removal time (p < 0.001), shorter hospitalization time (p < 0.001), minimal postoperative adverse event rate (p < 0.05), and lower modified POSSUM scores (all p < 0.001). However, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score showed no significant difference between the groups. Additionally, the research group exhibited lower postoperative VAS scores (p < 0.001) and shorter pain relief time (p < 0.001) than the control group.

Conclusions: Using MIVAT in TC patients contributes to favorable surgical outcomes and safety, with minimal surgical trauma and adequate postoperative pain relief, highlighting its potential for broader clinical implementation.