Table 5.
Published data for surgical learning curves for robotic thyroidectomy.
| Author, year | Study design | No. (patients) | Approach | Pathology | Operation | Operation time | Complications (Major)* | Methods for analysis | Surgical learning curve for robotic thyroidectomy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kang et al. (2009) [5] | Retrospective (single surgeon) |
338 | GT** | PTC§ (332) Benign (6) |
TT§§ & CCND# (104) LTT∆& CCND (234) |
Total: 144.0 ± 43.5 Console: 59.1±25.7 |
5/338 (1.5%) | Moving average | RT## (Console time): 40–45 cases |
|
| |||||||||
| Lee et al. (2011) [9] | Retrospective (single surgeon) |
163 | GT | PTC (151) FTCγ (1) Benign (11) |
TT (48), LTT (115) CCND (149) |
Total: 110.1 ± 50.7 Console: 50.9 ± 11.4 |
2/163 (1.2%) | Moving average | RT: 35-40 cases, ET∆∆:50–60 cases |
|
| |||||||||
| Lee et al. (2011) [13] |
Prospective (multicenter study) |
644 | GT | PTC (616) FTC (13) Benign (15) |
TT & CCND (353) LTT & CCND (291) |
Total: 181.5 ± 78.2 (≤50γγ)→141.5 ± 33.0 (>50) Console: 50.9 ± 11.4 |
2/644 (0.3%) | Comparative analysis between beginners and experience surgeons | RT (LTT): 40 cases RT (TT): 50 cases |
|
| |||||||||
| Kandil et al. (2012) [16] | Prospective (single surgeon) |
100 | GT | No data | TT (22) LTT (69) CT√ (9) |
Total: 121.9 ± 63.8 (≤45√√)→104.2 ± 71.5 (>45) Console: 51.3 ± 31.1 (≤45) →45 ± 36.4 (>45) |
1/100 (1.0%) | Comparative analysis between early experience and late experience | RT: 45 cases |
Complications (Major)*: major complications mean permanent damages such as recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, permanent hypocalcemia, hematoma of muscle flap need to reoperation, hemorrhage of a major vessel need to reoperation, trachea injury, Honor's syndrome, major chyle leakage, and brachial plexus neuropraxia (not including minor complications such as transient hypocalcemia, transient hoarseness, wound seroma, wound infection, and hematoma of muscle flap only need to conservative management), GT**: gasless transaxillary approach, PTC§: papillary thyroid carcinoma, TT§§: total thyroidectomy, CCND#: central compartment node dissection, RT##: robotic thyroidectomy, LTT∆: less than total thyroidectomy, ET∆∆: endoscopic thyroidectomy, FTCγ: follicular thyroid carcinoma, ≤50γγ: experience for robotic thyroidectomy were less than 50 cases, CT√: completion thyroidectomy, ≤45√√: experience for robotic thyroidectomy was less than 45 cases.