The aim of the study is to evaluate differences between use of Ultrasonic Coagulation Device (New Harmonic ACE™, Ethicon endo-surgery) and Bipolar Energy Sealing System (LigaSure Precise™, Covidien) in surgery for thyroid cancer.

Abbreviations: Ultrasonic Coagulation Device (UC), Bipolar Energy Sealing System (BES), Recurrence-free survival (RFS), Overall survival (OS)

Background: Thyroid is an organ that has abundant vessels. In thyroid surgery, it should be cautious to avoid injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid, thus careful hemostasis during surgery is crucial for surgeons who perform thyroid surgery. Recently, there have been significant advances in vessel sealing systems for the occlusion of vessels during surgery as endoscopic surgery has been developed. UC and BES are now commonly used in thyroid surgery. However, only a few studies have compared the two surgical devices to determine which technique is superior in terms of operative time and complication rate. Thus, this single-blind prospective randomized trial is conducted to determine if there was a difference in operative time, complication rate, postoperative drainage volume, admission time, cost, and, furthermore, oncologic outcomes (RFS and OS) between the two surgical devices in surgery for thyroid cancer.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. an age between 20 and 80 years old who are diagnosed as thyroid cancer or suspicious papillary thyroid cancer in fine needle aspiration biopsy
2. patients who are agree with the study enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

1. an age under 20 or over 80 years
2. severe co-morbidities that were contraindications for thyroid surgery (e.g., severe liver, heart, kidney, or pulmonary problems)
3. a lack of consent to participate in the study
4. the inability to include a patient in clinical trials according to the regulations or laws in Korea
5. the inability to complete regular follow-up visits (e.g., immigration)
6. the use of modified radical neck dissection due to lateral neck node metastasis
7. prior thyroid surgery or cervical irradiation
8. active enrollment in another clinical trial
9. the intention of the patient to undergo an additional operation at the time of the thyroid surgery (e.g., mastectomy and thyroidectomy at the same time)
10. the desire to undergo endoscopic or robot-assisted thyroidectomy