RF ablation may be an effective and safe nonsurgical technique to treat benign cold thyroid nodules.

Robotic thyroidectomy is a safe, feasible, and cosmetically excellent procedure in properly selected patients with PTC.

Robot-assisted endoscopic thyroidectomy by a gasless unilateral axillo-breast or axillary approach using a da Vinci S Surgical System robot is a safe, feasible, and cosmetically excellent procedure. It can be a promising alternative to endoscopic thyroidectomy or conventional open thyroidectomy.

To minimize surgical morbidity and neck scarring, minimally invasive thyroidectomy and robotic/endoscopic thyroidectomy via cervical, axillary, anterior chest, breast, postauricular or transoral approaches have been developed over the past 20 years. In this article, we review the evolution of robotic and endoscopic thyroid surgery and recent advances. Among remote access approaches, the gasless transaxillary approach, bilateral axillo-breast approach, postauricular facelift approach, and transoral vestibular approach are in common use today. Each procedure has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, we need to understand these advantages and limitations, and to select the appropriate method for each patient. The most significant advantage of remote access thyroidectomy is its excellent cosmesis. The complication rate is similar in patients undergoing a remote access approach and those undergoing conventional surgery if the former is performed by experienced surgeons. Operative time is significantly longer in remote access thyroidectomy. In conclusion remote access thyroidectomy is feasible and its outcomes are comparable to those of conventional transcervical thyroidectomy in highly selected patients.

Postoperative voice function is better with robotic thyroidectomy using the GUAB approach than with conventional open thyroidectomy. This is an advantage of robotic thyroidectomy by the GUAB approach in addition to the excellent cosmesis.

Background The use of ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures to treat both benign and malignant thyroid conditions is gaining increasing interest. This document has been developed as an international interdisciplinary evidence‐based statement with a primary focus on radiofrequency ablation and is intended to serve as a manual for best practice application of ablation technologies. Methods A comprehensive literature review was conducted to guide statement development and generation of best practice recommendations. Modified Delphi method was applied to assess whether statements met consensus among the entire author panel. Results A review of the current state of ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures for the treatment of benign and malignant thyroid conditions is presented. Eighteen best practice recommendations in topic areas of preprocedural evaluation, technique, postprocedural management, efficacy, potential complications, and implementation are provided. Conclusions As ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures are increasingly utilized in benign and malignant thyroid disease, evidence‐based and thoughtful application of best practices is warranted.

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Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transoral robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomy. Methods:We analyzed and compared the first 100 cases of transoral robotic (71 cases) and endoscopic (29 cases) thyroidectomy with 207 cases of conventional transcervical thyroidectomy. Results: Transoral thyroidectomy was completed successfully in all patients, except for three who were converted to the robotic facelift or transcervical approach. The mean operative time of the transoral procedure was significantly longer than that of the conventional procedure. Perioperative complications such as hypoparathyroidism, vocal cord palsy, hematoma, and seroma did not differ between the two groups. However, there were some unusual complications such as CO 2 embolism, surgical site infection, skin trauma, burn, and ecchymosis in transoral thyroidectomy. Postoperative cosmesis was significantly better in the transoral group.Conclusion: Transoral robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomy is feasible and comparable to conventional transcervical thyroidectomy in highly selected patients. K E Y W O R D Sendoscopic thyroidectomy, remote access thyroidectomy, robotic thyroidectomy, thyroid nodule, transoral thyroidectomy