Hand-side matching in TOETVA: assessing feasibility and surgical outcomes through learning curve and propensity score-matched cohorts

To address the lack of guidance for operating the non-dominant side in TOETVA by assessing whether non-dominant-hand TOETVA on the non-dominant side (left hand-left lobe) is a feasible strategy with similar surgical outcomes compared with the conventional dominant-hand approach (right hand-right lobe).

No actionable change for audiologists or hearing specialists — this article concerns thyroid surgery technique and has no direct relevance to audiology practice.

This study has negligible relevance to the audiology field; it was likely indexed alongside audiology content due to the anatomical term 'vestibular' in the surgical approach name (TOETVA), not because of any hearing or balance content.

1. 01TOETVA is a minimally invasive thyroid surgery performed through the mouth — unrelated to the vestibular (balance) system.
2. 02Study evaluates non-dominant-hand surgical performance using learning curve and propensity score-matched analysis.
3. 03Published in Surgical Endoscopy (2026).
4. 04No audiological, hearing, or vestibular outcomes are measured or discussed.
5. 05Article appears in this feed likely due to keyword overlap with 'vestibular' in the surgical acronym.

PMID

42443685

DOI

10.1007/s00464-026-13104-w.

Journal

Surgical Endoscopy

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Patients undergoing TOETVA (transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach)

Intervention

Non-dominant-hand TOETVA surgical technique

Comparator

Dominant-hand TOETVA (propensity score-matched cohort)