Intraoperative monitoring in minimally invasive endocrine surgery from minimally invasive video-assisted technique to transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach

In the last years a series of transoral thyroid and parathyroid surgery via a vestibular approach have been published and most of them have been carried out in Asia, where this procedure is growing in popularity due to cultural reasons (1). In the Western world, more and more surgeons are employing this approach. A number of clinical research centers are trying to define the proper technique and the indications for this procedure. As for any new procedure, comparison with prior techniques, rigorous safety and reproducibility testing are mandatory. The results from these studies show how highly skilled surgeons, well versed in thyroid, parathyroid and video-assisted surgery, are required to properly execute this delicate procedure (2).