Robotic Thyroidectomy: Facelift Approach

Surgical outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy for thyroid tumors over 4 cm via the bilateral axillo-breast approach

The study investigated the feasibility of robotic bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) thyroidectomy for patients with thyroid tumors larger than 4 cm. BABA thyroidectomy has previously shown safety and effectiveness for thyroid surgeries but lacked extensive data on its application to larger tumors. Between October 2008 and August 2022, there were 74 patients underwent robotic BABA thyroidectomy due to thyroid nodules exceeding 4 cm in size. The mean patient age was 40.3 years. Fine needle aspiration results classified the tumors as benign (50.0%), atypia of undetermined significance (27.0%), follicular neoplasm (16.2%), suspicious for malignancy/malignancy (5.4%), or lymphoma (1.4%). The average tumor size was 4.9 cm, with the majority (85.1%) undergoing thyroid lobectomy, and the rest (14.9%) receiving total thyroidectomy. The mean total operation time was 178.4 min for lobectomy and 207.3 min for total thyroidectomy. Transient vocal cord palsy (VCP) was found in 3 patients (4.1%), and there was no permanent VCP. Among patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, transient hypoparathyroidism was observed in three (27.2%), and permanent hypoparathyroidism was observed in one (9.1%). There were no cases of open conversion, tumor spillage, bleeding, flap injury, or tumor recurrence. In conclusion, robotic BABA thyroidectomy may be a safe treatment option for large-sized thyroid tumors that carries no significant increase in complication rates.

Hydrogel-Shielded Soft Tactile Sensor for Biocompatible Drug Delivery Monitoring

Tactile sensing is an emerging technological advancement in surgical robotics in order to probe interactions between confined tissue environments and instruments based on touch information. The tactile sense can assist in improving the efficiency of the whole practice and hence enhance precision, control, and safety during surgery. This paper demonstrates a distinct proof-of-concept therapeutic device equipped with a soft tactile sensor. The tactile sensor was custom-made using flexible piezoresistive materials and conductive ink, wrapped with a biocompatible hydrogel polymer matrix for safer human–tissue interactions. The proposed tactile sensor was then calibrated and its performance was compared with gold standard sensors. It was further tested with a continuous force (5 N) for an extended period of time (about 6 h) to address robustness and repeatability. The sensor showed a sensitivity of 0.833 N−1 and a drift of ≤1%. Successful cadaver experiment demonstrates the efficiency of tactile sensing assistance to clinicians.