Thyroid Cancer Surgery In The Mouth Preserve The Voice And Have No Scars

The thyroid gland located in front of the neck is a hormone-secreting organ that affects all tissues in the human body. If the thyroid gland loses its function and can't function properly, it can lead to body temperature and imbalance in body metabolism. In addition, it is important to check thyroid health through regular checkups, because cancer can be a major threat to our health and life even if the progression of cancer is slow at most.

Representative diseases that may occur in the thyroid include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer. Among them, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis are usually accompanied by characteristic symptoms and are often found by visiting a hospital. Diseases related to thyroid hormone secretion can be identified by blood tests. Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer are sometimes diagnosed with symptoms such as a sore throat or hoarseness, but are often found by ultrasound performed during a medical examination without special symptoms.

Thyroid cancer is treated with surgery. In the past, the skin of the lower neck was incised, but recently, robotic surgery is applied and scar-free surgery is possible. In particular, at the beginning of robot surgery, the thyroid was approached through the armpits and chest, but recently, oral robot thyroid surgery, which operates the thyroid through the mouth, has been recognized worldwide.

Oral robot thyroid surgery is an operation in which the robot arm enters the mouth to excise only the thyroid gland without damaging other tissues and organs. It is a groundbreaking surgical method that has no scars and few sequelae, and has been receiving worldwide attention since its development. Oral robot thyroid surgery is the world's first surgical technique developed and applied by Professor Kim Hoon-Yeop of the Thyroid Center at Anam Hospital, Korea University. Because the scope of surgery is narrow, there is less pain and the voice can be effectively preserved. In addition, it is possible to perform more sophisticated surgery than the existing surgical methods, and there are various advantages such as no scarring at all.

Professor Hun-Yeop Kim explained, “The treatment of diseases, the minimization of pain, and the liberation from worrying about side effects are ultimately the desired results of treatment for patients all over the world. This can remain, but since oral robot thyroid surgery does not leave any scars in the mouth, it will also help with the quality of life after overcoming cancer.”