• Celestino P Lombardi, Marco Raffaelli, Lucia D'alatri, Carmela De Crea, Maria Raffaella Marchese, Daria Maccora, Gaetano Paludetti, and Rocco Bellantone.
• Division of Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Policlinico A. Gemelli, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
• World J Surg. 2008 May 1;32(5):693-700.

BackgroundVoice and swallowing symptoms are frequently reported after thyroidectomy even in absence of objective voice alterations. We evaluated the influence of the video-assisted approach on voice and swallowing outcome of thyroidectomy.MethodsSixty-five patients undergoing total thyroidectomy (TT) were recruited. Eligibility criteria were: nodule sizeResultsFifty-three patients completed the postoperative evaluation: 29 in the VAT group, and 24 in the CT group. No laryngeal nerves injury was shown at postoperative VSL. Mean postoperative MPT, F0, Flow, Fhigh, and the number of semitones were significantly reduced in the CT group but not in the VAT group. Mean VIS 3 months after surgery was significantly higher than preoperatively in CT group but not in the VAT group. Mean SIS was significantly decreased 1 and 3 months after VAT but not after CT.ConclusionsThe incidence and the severity of early voice and swallowing postthyroidectomy symptoms are significantly reduced in patients who undergo VAT compared with conventional surgery.

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