Comparison of the degree of patient satisfaction between transoral thyroidectomy and open thyroidectomy: A survey-based study

Abstract

Abstract Recent advances in thyroid surgery techniqueshave increased the number of patients undergoing transoral thyroidectomy, and many patients are concerned about the post-thyroidectomy cosmetic effects. This study was conducted from August 2021 to January 2022 at Gangnam Severance Hospital (Seoul, South Korea), a tertiary hospital; a total of 91 patients underwent transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy (TOET) or open thyroidectomy performed by a single surgeon. Before and after surgery, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale, 15-Item Quality of Recovery, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist surveys were administered. The survey results of the patients who underwent TOET and those who underwent open thyroidectomy were compared to determine the differences. Patients with insufficient survey data were excluded. Only the HADS-Depression survey scores differed significantlybetween the TOET and open thyroidectomy groups and were 4.22±0.781 and 5.52±0.84, respectively (p=.039). Multivariable analysis, adjusted for age and weight differences between the conventional and TOET groups, revealed no differences in any of the survey scores, including the HADS-Depression scores. No differences were observed in the survey scores between the TOET and open thyroidectomy groups. Thus, subjective postoperative stress about pain and the degree of recovery after surgery were similar between the two groups.