Endoscopic surgery for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: cases review and investigation of technique dissemination in China

For papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, endoscopic surgery demonstrates comparable efficacy to traditional open surgery, with no significant differences observed in 5-year recurrence and survival rates during follow-up. However, the safety and reliability of various endoscopic approaches for thyroid cancer surgery remain questionable, particularly regarding the thoroughness of central compartment lymph node dissection, as indicated by surveys on the implementation of endoscopic thyroid surgery over five consecutive years. More long-term follow-up data are required to validate these outcomes. Therefore, we recommend that preoperative lymph node positivity should be considered a contraindication, and patients with postoperative pathological confirmation of lymph node metastasis warrant closer clinical monitoring and intensive follow-up.