Advanced Energy Devices

Abstract

Energy devices are important instruments in an endocrine surgeon’s toolbox because glandular organs are well vascularized and tend to bleed intraoperatively. Currently, energy devices most often used in endocrine surgery fall into two major categories: bipolar vessel sealing and ultrasonic. In current research, these energy devices have demonstrated similar rates of postoperative hematoma and injury to the parathyroid glands and recurrent laryngeal nerve, compared to traditional suture ligation. And more recently, in addition to bipolar and ultrasonic devices, radiofrequency ablation has emerged as a potential option for benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancer.