Safety and effectiveness of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) for benign thyroid tumors: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Background: Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) has emerged as a minimally invasive surgical technique that offers excellent cosmetic results by avoiding visible neck scars. However, evidence on its safety, effectiveness, and feasibility in clinical practice, particularly in Vietnam, remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, surgical safety, and feasibility of TOETVA for the treatment of benign thyroid tumors. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study on 100 patients who underwent TOETVA between June 2023 and June 2024. Patients were selected based on preoperative diagnoses of benign thyroid nodules confirmed by ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology. Data collected included patient demographics, clinical and paraclinical characteristics, surgical procedures, operative time, postoperative histopathology, complications, and recovery outcomes. Results: The study included 100 patients, with a mean age of 37.4 ± 9.2 years; 88% were female. The mean nodule size was 22.1 ± 8.5 mm, with 69% of patients having a single nodule. Lobectomy was performed in 97% of cases, and total thyroidectomy in 3%. The mean operative time was 92.1 ± 10.4 minutes for lobectomy and 125 ± 7.1 minutes for total thyroidectomy. Postoperative histopathology confirmed benign lesions in 96% of cases. The complication rate was low, with one case (1%) of postoperative bleeding and one case (1%) of infection; no permanent complications were recorded. The average hospital stay was 5.4 ± 1.8 days. Conclusion: TOETVA can be a safe, feasible, and cosmetically favorable surgical technique for the management of benign thyroid tumors.