Minimal invasive open thyroidectomy is one option for minimal invasive surgery. The population of planned unilateral lobectomy is on the rise in parallel to the increased incidence of confined papillary thyroid microcarcinomas in Korea. In contrast to other minimal invasive modalities, few studies have examined the surgical outcome of minimal invasive open thyroidectomy. This study compared the lateral minimal invasive open thyroid lobectomy with conventional surgery and endoscopic surgery in terms of the feasibility and safety.

A retrospective study was performed on 197 patients undergoing a thyroid lobectomy between January 2001 and December 2010. One hundred and three patients underwent a lateral minimal invasive open thyroid lobectomy, 42 patients underwent conventional surgery, and 44 patients underwent endoscopic surgery.

The hospitalization period with endoscopic surgery was 6.2 days, which was longer than the 5.3 days with a lateral minimal invasive open thyroid lobectomy (P=0.000). The surgical time was lower in those who underwent a lateral minimal invasive open thyroid lobectomy (88.2 minutes) than in those who underwent conventional surgery (107 minutes, P=0.000) or endoscopic surgery (124.1 minutes, P=0.000). In the patients with a diagnosis of malignancy, the mean number of retrieved LNs was similar in the three groups.

A lateral minimal invasive open thyroid lobectomy offers advantages, such as a shorter surgical time and hospitalization period than others. This procedure can be a feasible alternative to the conventional or endoscopic approach in selected patients undergoing thyroid lobectomy.