Sutureless technique for thyroidectomy: Systematic review of literature

The purpose of the present systematic review is to compare the outcomes and complications of two techniques of thyroidectomy: the surgical technique for thyroidectomy performed by a sealing device (LigaSure small jaw) versus conventional clamp-and-tie technique (CAT). Clinical studies were retrieved from the electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus. One-hundred and five articles provided information in relation to outcomes of thyroidectomy performed with the use of sealing device versus that performed using traditional CAT technique. Of these, 27 articles were selected for final inclusion. A thorough review of available literature shows that sealing device provides better results in terms of intraoperative and postoperative blood loss, postoperative drain volume, incidence of transient or permanent palsy of recurrent laryngeal nerve and external branch of superior laryngeal nerve, postoperative transient or permanent hypocalcemia, and length of hospital stay.