Remote-Access Thyroidectomy in the Pediatric Population: a Systematic Review

Introduction: Remote-access thyroidectomy has been reported in the pediatric population in a limited fashion.

Methods: This was a systematic review in PubMed and Scopus for pediatric remote-access thyroidectomy.

Results: Seventy-eight articles were identified and screened, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria, including 231 patients; 70% of publications reported six or fewer patients. The mean age was 15.3 years (range 5-19). Sixty percent of surgeries were total thyroidectomy. Transaxillary robotic approach was most commonly performed (48.9%). Sixty-seven percent of the cases were operated on for a malignancy. Tumor size ranged between 0.4 and 1.8 cm. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury rate was 1.9%. Transient and permanent hypocalcemia rates were 23.9% and 2.2%, respectively.

Conclusion: Pediatric remote-access thyroidectomy is not widely employed currently. Comparative studies with better quality are needed to establish its safety. Among selected pediatric patients, it can provide an alternative to open approaches, especially when neck scar is of major concern.