Thanks to sophisticated technology: thyroid surgery without a scar on the neck

The doctor has discovered a lump on my thyroid gland! And now he advises surgery. This is usually performed via the neck, which means that a noticeable scar remains. However, many patients find this disturbing. For this reason, doctors have been eagerly searching for alternatives in recent years and have developed several sophisticated techniques.

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via Sabrina
10/06/2016, 18:56
Jedes Jahr werden hierzulande rund 90 000 Patienten an der Schilddrüse operiert. Mittlerweile ist das auch ganz ohne unschöne Narben am Hals machbar.© fotolia
Every year, around 90,000 patients in Germany undergo thyroid surgery, which can now be performed without any unsightly scars on the neck.
Ein Eingriff kann auch über die Achsel erfolgen.© fotolia
The procedure can also be performed via the armpit.

In an innovative method, surgery is performed via the armpit and through small incisions at the edges of the breast. The doctor inserts the instruments at these points.

Precise surgery via the armpit

Another option: the thyroid gland is also operated on via the armpit, only this time a robot helps. This robot can make the surgical movements extremely precisely and also has a camera that provides high-resolution 3D images of the inside of the body. This is intended to reduce the risk of injury, for example to the vocal cords.

The doctor makes an incision behind the ear

However, a procedure developed by German doctors is particularly astonishing. Here, the surgeon inserts the instrument behind the ear and pushes it forward between the neck muscles up to the thyroid gland. Hair later conceals the scar.