Postsurgical complications after robot-assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy: critical analysis of a large cohort of European patients

Abstract

In the last decade, robot-assisted trans-axillary thyroidectomy has spread rapidly and has been proven to be a safe and effective procedure. However, several case series have reported new complications that have led to criticism regarding this approach. This study analyzed the incidence of complications in a large cohort of European patients. We enrolled all patients who underwent robot-assisted trans-axillary thyroidectomy from 2012 to 2020 at the University Hospital of Pisa Department of Endocrine Surgery. We analyzed complications and divided them into 2 groups. Group A included conventional complications, such as transient or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, transient or permanent hypocalcemia, hemorrhage, and tracheal injury. Group B included unconventional complications, such as brachial plexus palsy, track seeding, seroma, great vessels injury, and skin flap perforation. There were 31 postsurgical complications (5.7%). Group A included 25 complications (4.6%): transient and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 7 patients (1.3%) and in 1 (0.2%), respectively; transient and permanent hypocalcemia occurred in 9 patients (1.7%) and in 1 (0.2%), respectively. Postoperative bleeding occurred in 6 patients (1.1%) and tracheal injury in 1 (0.2%). Group B included 6 complications (1.1%): 1 patient with brachial plexus injury (0.2%), 1 with track seeding (0.2%), and 4 with seroma (0.7%). Robotic trans-axillary thyroidectomy is a safe approach with a risk of postoperative complications comparable to the conventional technique. Almost all complications after a novel introduction are anecdotal. With an accurate patient selection, high-volume institutions with experienced surgeons can perform this technique safely.