Scarless Thyroid Surgery Now a Possibility
Wed, December 2, 2009 at 03:00AM Thyroid gland surgery is usually used to threat a cancer, nodules, or an overactive gland. Women are more likely to require thyroid surgery, so that a ‘scarless’ approach would be an attractive alternative to the more common ‘necklace’ incision. Tulane University surgeon Dr Emad Kandil is the first to perform this type of surgery in the USA, although a similar procedure has been done in Korea.
The Da Vici three-dimensional, high definition robotic equipment is used, with a 2-inch incision below the armpit. (Yes, it’s not completely ‘scarless’.) A small camera and instruments are inserted between muscles, and remotely operated with help of the Da Vinci computer. Unlike other minimal incision thyroid surgeries, it doesn’t require blowing gas into the neck tissues to separate them.
The Da Vinci robot is in use in a number of hospitals in the country, often for prostate or uterus surgery. As with other (almost) non-invasive surgeries, there is usually less discomfort and faster recovery times. The future is coming sooner than we thought!
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More info about the scarless thyroid surgery can be found on this site.</A>