A controlled study of the hygienic technical evaluation of the transaxillary approach for inflation-free single-port lumpectomy versus conventional transcervical anterior open surgery in radical thyroid cancer resection

Abstract Objective To evaluate sanitary techniques for radical thyroid cancer surgery via the transaxillary approach without inflation single-port endoscopic surgery (TAWISES) and the conventional open anterior cervical approach (COACAS) in a controlled manner. Methods This work was a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 60 patients admitted to our hospital for unilateral radical thyroid cancer surgery between 01/2021 and 12/2022. The control group underwent COACAS (30 patients), and the experimental group underwent TAWISES (30 patients). The patients’ operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume, 24-h postoperative pain index, drainage tube carrying time, hospitalization duration and complication rate were compared and analyzed. The patients were followed up for 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively and evaluated based on numbness, muscular tightness, pain and other discomfort in the neck, as well as satisfaction with social adaptation and cosmetic incisions. The recurrence status was assessed for 1 year in both groups of patients. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess patient acceptance of the two surgical approaches. The economic characteristics (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility) of the different approaches in our region were evaluated comprehensively. Results The length of the incision, drainage tube carrying time and hospitalization duration were greater in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). Neck discomfort was greater in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant at the 3-month postoperative follow-up (P 0.05). However, mild discomfort was significantly more common in the experimental group (63.33% > 36.67%, 80% > 53.33%, P