During the past decade, various endoscopic thyroid surgeries have been conducted, each with its own benefits. The incorporation of robotic systems to endoscopic thyroid surgery has improved the visualization and precision of endoscopic techniques. We previously reported our initial experience with robotic modified radical neck dissection (MRND) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with lateral neck node metastasis (LNM). The aim of this study was to compare surgical outcomes of robotic vs. conventional open MRND of PTC with LNM using propensity score matching.

From January 2008 to February 2011, 515 patients with PTC with LNM were enrolled. One hundred patients underwent robotic MRND, and 415 patients underwent conventional open MRND. These two groups were retrospectively compared with respect to their clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes, and surgical completeness. Furthermore, to avoid selection bias, propensity score matching analysis was used to compare surgical outcomes of each group without any compounding factors.

The operative time for the robotic MRND was longer than for the open MRND (297.9±60.2 min vs. 212.1±55.6 min, P=0.089). However, the mean numbers of retrieved lymph nodes and mean hospital stay after surgery were similar in the two groups (36.0±12.9 vs. 40.8±13.3, P=0.235), (6.1±1.6 days vs. 6.1±2.1 days, P=0.577). The complication rates were similar between the two groups, and there was no statistical difference in postoperative thyroglobulin levels between groups (0.51±0.83 ng/ml vs. 0.89±2.46 ng/ml, P=0.593).

According to our study, robotic MRND shows similar surgical outcomes to conventional open MRND after case-matched analyses. We suggest that robotic MRND is an acceptable alternative as an operative method for PTC with LNM, resulting in excellent cosmesis and patient satisfaction.