Remote-access thyroidectomy comprises a group of endoscopic and robotic procedures, including the bilateral axillo-breast, gasless axillary, retroauricular, and transoral vestibular approaches, developed to relocate or conceal the cervical incision while maintaining operative efficacy....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for audiologists; this surgical review is outside direct audiology scope, though retroauricular approaches may rarely intersect with ear-adjacent anatomy of interest to otologists.
As remote-access thyroid surgery grows in popularity, understanding its risk profile — including proximity to head and neck structures — is relevant context for otolaryngology-aligned audiology practices.
- 01Review covers four remote-access thyroid surgery approaches: bilateral axillo-breast, gasless axillary, retroauricular, and transoral.
- 02Each technique aims to avoid a visible neck scar but carries distinct anatomical risks.
- 03Published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology.
- 04The retroauricular approach is of peripheral relevance to ear and lateral skull-base anatomy.
- 05No direct audiology intervention or hearing outcome is examined.
Remote-access thyroid surgery techniques involve significant surgical controversies regarding safety and oncological adequacy.
opinionpartially supported- PMID
- 42710435
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.amjoto.2026.104920.
- Journal
- American Journal of Otolaryngology
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Patients undergoing remote-access thyroid surgery
- Intervention
- Remote-access thyroid surgery techniques (bilateral axillo-breast, gasless axillary, retroauricular, transoral)
Primary outcomes
Surgical controversies and comparative safety of remote-access thyroid approaches