미적 요인에 대한 환자 만족도를 중심으로 한 내시경적 갑상선 절제술 및 기존 술식의 비교 분석

Comparison of Endoscopic Thyroidectomy versus Conventional Thyroidectomy in Patient Satisfaction with Cosmetic Result

Purpose: Endoscopic thyroidectomy has brought lots of advantages to the patients since its first introduction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the functional and cosmetic satisfaction of patients receiving endoscopic thyroidectomy with patients receiving conventional thyroidectomy. Methods: From October 2009 to January 2010, 98 patients underwent with conventional (n=69) or endoscopic (n=22) thyroidectomy. Of these patients 91 who had responded to a questionnaire distributed during the visit outpatient clinic visit. The questionnaire responses were analyzed to compare the satisfaction and postoperative results of these patients. Results: The patient mean age was 45.5±10.1 years and the male to female ratio was 1：8.1. Perceived cosmetic satisfaction was significantly greater in patients who received conventional thyroidectomy than in those who received endoscopic thyroidectomy (P=0.03). Otherwise, there were no significant differences concerning functional problems. The conventional surgery was significantly longer than the endoscopic surgery (P=0.001). However, there were no significant differences in estimated blood loss, postoperative hospital stayand complication rates (P＞0.05). Conclusion: Endoscopic thyroidectomy might bring satisfactory cosmetic result compared to conventional thyroidectomy. However, further studies are necessary. (Korean J Endocrine Surg 2010;10:170-175)