Objective To explore the protection of the structure and function around the upper pole of the thyroid gland by endoscopic thyroidectomy combined with nerve detection through the gasless unilateral axillary approach. Methods From January 2019 to June 2020, 48 thyroid patients who underwent the gasless unilateral axillary approach combined with the endoscopy and nerve detection technology in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital were reviewed as the endoscopic group, and 53 thyroid patients underwent open surgery combined with the endoscopy and nerve detection technology as the open group. The protection of the functional structure of the suprathyroid pole were compared. Results In terms of operation time, the endoscopic group was longer than that of the open group (67.5 min vs. 54.1 min, P=0.001). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative hospital stay and blood loss (P>0.05). Forty-seven patients with the endoscopic thyroid surgery through the gasless unilateral axillary approach effectively detected the superior laryngeal nerve (47/48, 97.9%), which was higher than that of the open group (40/53, 75.5%), P=0.003, and the exposure rate of hypoglossal nerve descending branch in the endoscopic group was also higher [31.3% (15/48) vs. 3.8% (2/53), P=0.001]. In the endoscopic group, the superior parathyroid gland was kept in situ during the operation, and there was no change of voice and cough after the operation. In the open group, there were 2 cases of autologous transplantation of the upper pole parathyroid gland, 2 patients had voice changes, and 1 case had partial upper pole banded muscle incision. There was no significant difference in the incidence of nerve injury complications, the rate of autologous transplantation of the upper pole parathyroid gland and the rate of anterior cervical banded muscle injury between the two groups (P>0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the levels of parathyroid hormone, blood calcium, blood magnesium and blood phosphorus between the two groups before/after operation (P>0.05). Conclusion During the endoscopic thyroidectomy through the gasless unilateral axillary approach, the nerve monitoring technology is combined with the exploration and protection of the superior laryngeal nerve on the surface of the medial cricothyroid muscle of the upper pole of the thyroid, and the fine capsule anatomy technology is used to protect the superior parathyroid gland in situ, which can more effectively expose the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. It is conducive to the protection of the structures around the upper pole.
Soft tissue defects resulting from head and neck tumor resection seriously impact the physical appearance and psychological well-being of patients. The complex curvature of the human head and neck poses a formidable challenge for maxillofacial surgeons to achieve precise aesthetic and functional restoration after surgery. To this end, a normal head and neck volunteer was selected as the subject of investigation. Employing Gaussian curvature analysis, combined with mechanical constraints and principal curvature analysis methods of soft tissue clinical treatment, a precise developable/non-developable area partition map of the head and neck surface was obtained, and a non-developable surface was constructed. Subsequently, a digital design method was proposed for the repair of head and neck soft tissue defects, and an in vitro simulated surgery experiment was conducted. Clinical verification was performed on a patient with tonsil tumor, and the results demonstrated that digital technology-designed flaps improved the accuracy and aesthetic outcome of head and neck soft tissue defect repair surgery. This study validates the feasibility of digital precision repair technology for soft tissue defects after head and neck tumor resection, which effectively assists surgeons in achieving precise flap transplantation reconstruction and improves patients’ postoperative satisfaction.
The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased significantly worldwide in recent years, and it has become one of the top ten malignant tumors. The relevant guidelines for thyroid cancer have been formulated one after another. Surgery is an important method for the treatment of thyroid cancer. Standardized surgery can effectively improve the prognosis and quality of life, while inappropriate treatment will increase the risk of recurrence and reduce the survival rate. In 2022, the first domestic guideline for thyroid cancer covering all pathological types, “CACA Guidelines for Holistic Integrative Management of Thyroid Cancer” was officially released. Compared with the previous guidelines, the recommendations of the CACA guidelines are more in line with China’s national conditions, focusing on the integration of multidisciplinary resources, and minimizing the risk of complications while ensuring the treatment effect.
ObjectiveExplore the impact of a digital-intelligence-based quality control platform for thyroid cancer on the effectiveness of clinical diagnosis and treatment quality management. MethodsThe digital-intelligence-based quality control platform for thyroid cancer at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital was launched at the end of July 2022. In its initial phase, six quality control indicators related to the standardized diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer were deployed. This study analyzed the changes in these six quality control indicators between January 2022 and November 2023, comparing data before and after the platform’s implementation. ResultsCompared with the period from January to July 2022 (prior to the platform’s launch), the rates of preoperative cytopathological examination (t=–8.490, P<0.001) and postoperative pTNM staging for thyroid cancer patients (t=–3.027, P=0.013) increased from July to November 2023 (one year post-launch). However, the proportion of minimally invasive surgeries among thyroid cancer patients (t=4.085, P=0.002) decreased. The linear regression model results indicated that, following the platform’s launch, there was a gradual increase over time in both the preoperative cytopathological examination rate for thyroid cancer (standard β=0.765, P=0.001) and the postoperative pTNM staging rate (standard β=0.499, P=0.049). ConclusionPreliminary results of this study suggest that the thyroid cancer digital-intelligence-based quality control platform developed by our team can effectively enhance the standardized quality control of clinical diagnosis and treatment for thyroid cancer.