A comparison of postoperative pain after conventional open thyroidectomy and transaxillary single-incision robotic thyroidectomy: a prospective study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare conventional open thyroidectomy with robotic thyroidectomy in terms of postoperative pain.

Methods: We compared the intensity of postoperative pain experienced by patients who received conventional open thyroidectomy (n = 45) versus those who underwent robotic thyroidectomy (n = 45). During surgery, we carefully controlled the anesthetic conditions. All the patients underwent a total thyroidectomy with ipsilateral central compartment node dissection. Postoperative pain in the 2 groups was compared using a visual analog scale and the amount of rescue analgesic at 30 min, 4 h, 1, 2, 3, and 10 days after surgery.

Results: The postoperative pain at 30 min and 4 h after surgery were 3.0 ± 0.9 and 2.6 ± 0.9 (p = .066) and 4.9 ± 1.3 and 4.4 ± 1.3 (p = .055) in the conventional open group and the robotic group, respectively. The mean pain scores at 1, 2, 3, and 10 days after surgery were 3.8 ± 1.3 and 3.0 ± 1.3 (p = .001), 2.6 ± 1.2 and 2.0 ± 0.9 (p = .005), 1.7 ± 0.9 and 1.3 ± 0.6 (p = .034), and 0.9 ± 0.7 and 1.2 ± 1.1 (p = .093), respectively. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of postoperative rescue analgesic use (1.1 ± 1.1 and 0.8 ± 0.9, p = .264).

Conclusions: Even though robotic thyroidectomy using the transaxillary technique requires a more extensive subcutaneous dissection than conventional open thyroidectomy, robotic thyroidectomy does not result in more postoperative pain or use of analgesic when compared with open thyroidectomy.