Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach vs conventional open thyroidectomy: Meta-analysis

Background To conduct a meta-analysis to compare the safety and efficacy of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) with conventional open thyroidectomy (COT). Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library from January 2007 to March 2020 were searched to identify studies comparing TOETVA and COT. Results Six eligible nonrandomized studies involving 1151 patients were included. Meta-analysis results revealed that TOETVA group had a significantly longer operative time (weighted mean difference [WMD], 66.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 35.22-96.96;P < .0001) and larger amount of drainage (WMD, 98; 95% CI, 20.14-175.86;P= .01). There were no significant differences in terms of postoperative outcomes. Conclusion TOETVA appears to be as feasible and safe as the COT for the treatment of patients with benign thyroid nodules and selected differential thyroid carcinomas.