Advances in Thyroid Surgery and Ablation Therapy - Treatment Considerations in the Era of Quality of Life

In recent years, advances in thyroid surgery and ablation therapy have led to improved treatment options for patients with thyroid disease. These advances have allowed for more precise and personalized treatments, resulting in better outcomes and fewer complications, such as bleeding, vocal fold paralysis, and hypoparathyroidism. Consideration of anesthesia strategies allows, for example, neuromonitoring techniques to improve their accuracy and allow ablation to be performed under patient sedation and possibly combined with more sophisticated monitoring. A key consideration in modern thyroid treatment is the importance of maintaining a good quality of life for patients. This includes minimizing the physical and emotional impact of the disease, as well as optimizing post-treatment recovery and long-term outcomes, such as voice, swallowing, and cosmetics. To achieve these goals, thyroid surgeons and other specialists must carefully consider a number of factors when selecting treatment options for individual patients. These may include the size, location, and tumor type of the thyroid lesion; the patient's overall health, medical history, and anesthesia risks; attention to functional performance such as voice and swallowing; and the patient’s personal preferences and goals for treatment.

This Research Topic aims to provide the latest advances in precision preoperative diagnosis, novel treatment approaches, and the application of innovative surgical instruments. It will also focus on postoperative follow-up procedures, management of complications, informed consent, and shared decision-making to improve patient safety and satisfaction. We hope that through further research, we can help thyroid surgeons enter an era of quality of life and provide patients with safer and more reassuring thyroid treatment options.

Potential topics may include but are not limited to:
• Thyroid ablation procedures: radiofrequency ablation (RFA), ethanol ablation (EA), microwave ablation (MWA), and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU);
• Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM): intermittent and continuous stimulation, endotracheal and transcartilage recording methods, and novel applications;
• Energy-based device (EBD): efficacy and safety;
• Near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) for parathyroid preservation;
• Anesthesia considerations for thyroid surgery and ablation procedures;
• Remote thyroid surgery: endoscopic and robotic;
• Remote thyroid surgical approaches: transoral, retroauricular and transaxillary;
• Voice issues related to thyroidectomy and ablation procedures;
• Swallowing issues related to thyroidectomy and ablation procedures;
• Subjective/objective voice and swallowing analysis and thyroid treatment.