Skills of endoscopic thyroidectomy via small incision of neck：an analysis of 667 cases        CHEN Guang*, DONG Su, LIU Jia, et al.* Department of Thyroid Surgery, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Corresponding author: LIU Jia, E-mail: sosea@sina.com
Abstract    Objective    To explore the skills of endoscopic thyroidectomy via small incision of neck and summarize the indexes and experiences about the operations. Methods    The clinical data of 667 cases underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy via small incision of neck between June 2006 and June 2009 at the First Hospital of Jilin University were analyzed retrospectively.  Results    The operations of 667 cases were all successful. The mean operation time of the former 50 cases and the after 617 cases were（60±13）minutes and （39±9）minutes respectively. The blood loss in operation was 15-80mL. The volume of drainage after operation was 5-35mL. The drainage tubes were all pulled out in the second day. The time of postoperative hospitalization was （3±1）days. The size of the incision was 2.0-2.5cm. The patients were all satisfied with the scar. No analgesic was acquired after the operation. There were 1 case hoarse, 1 case cutaneous emphysema, 6 cases open operation. There was no haemorrhage or infection in all cases. No one recurred after the following 3-12 months.  Conclusion    After acquiring certain skills, endoscopic thyroidectomy via small incision of neck is safe and reliable and offers better cosmetic results.