Transoral thyroidectomy (TOETVA): Complications, surgical time and learning curve.

Background: Since 2018, transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) has emerged as a true scarless thyroid surgery. In this study, we explore early outcomes and learning curve of this new approach.
Methods: A retrospective cohort including conventional thyroidectomies and TOETVAs performed in a cancer center was designed. Learning curve and early surgical outcomes of TOETVA were assessed and compared to conventional thyroidectomy.
Results: A total of 56 TOETVAs and 745 conventional thyroid procedures were included. In the TOETVA group, we had a 14.4% total complication rate with no permanent vocal cord paresis or hypocalcemia. The mean surgical time dropped from 167 to 117 min (p = 0.0001) after the 15 first cases. Comparing to conventional procedures, we didn't find any significant difference in complications rate. Operative time was longer in the TOETVA group.
Conclusions: In this study, TOETVA was safe and feasible, with a learning curve of 15 cases.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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