Opening a new horizon for minimally invasive thyroid surgery

  Technological advances have ushered in a new era when minimally invasive thyroid surgery has quietly entered the da Vinci robotic era as breakthroughs in 3D, high definition, Endo-wrist and dithering filter technologies have become a reality.  The da Vinci robotic surgery system is based on robotic surgical technology developed at MIT, and Intuitive Surgical has further developed the system in conjunction with IBM and MIT Heartport. The U.S. FDA has approved the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System for use in general, thoracic, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, head and neck surgery, and cardiac surgery in adults and children. The da Vinci Surgical System is an advanced robotic operating platform designed with the concept of performing complex surgical procedures through the use of a minimally invasive approach.  Thyroid surgery is traditionally known for its precision, requiring not only the precise removal of thyroid tissue, but also the complete preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, superior laryngeal nerve, and parathyroid glands, as well as the complete protection of the common carotid artery, internal jugular vein, vagus nerve, paramedian nerve, phrenic nerve, and other important anatomical structures when regional lymph node dissection is necessary. The da Vinci robot-assisted thyroid surgery not only meets these requirements, but also allows for scar-free and less invasive neck surgery.  So what makes the da Vinci robot so powerful? What is the code of the da Vinci compared to traditional lumpectomy techniques?  First of all, the surgical field of view of the da Vinci robot system has a magnification of more than 10 times, which enables the surgeon to bring three-dimensional high-definition images of the patient’s body cavity, enabling the surgeon to better grasp the operating distance and better identify the anatomical structures than in ordinary laparoscopic surgery, enhancing surgical accuracy. The anatomical structure of tissues and organs and the route of blood vessels and nerves can be clearly presented.  Secondly, the motion mode of the robotic arm of the da Vinci robot system maintains the same hand-eye, hand and instrument end motion, which helps the surgeon to apply the experience in open surgery to robotic surgery; the operating hand of the robotic arm can fully imitate the human wrist movement with 7 degrees of freedom, and its range of motion is not only better than that of traditional laparoscopic instruments, but also much greater than that of human hands.  Again, the da Vinci robot system can adjust the doctor’s hand movements in equal proportions, filtering out jitter, and the amplitude of movements can be proportionally reduced and precisely transferred to the robotic arm and instruments, showing greater flexibility than human hands in narrow anatomical areas.  This shows that the da Vinci robot has the characteristics of “small space, big action, and freedom of movement”, which is not only capable of performing the range of resection and requirements needed for traditional open thyroid surgery, but also can almost achieve “blood” without traces. The “neck” is beautiful.