Joheun Gangan Hospital Chief Kim Dongil Achieves Busan's First 500 Robotic Thyroid Cancer Surgeries

Focus on "transoral robotic surgery"...enhancing precision and safety with no scarring

Joheun Gangan Hospital (Director Heo Hyun) announced on the 19th that Kim Dongil, Chief of the Department of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery, has become the first in the Busan area to achieve 500 cases of robotic thyroid cancer surgery.

The main surgical technique performed by Kim is the "transoral (through the mouth) robotic approach." Fully introduced in 2018, this procedure involves inserting robotic arms through the oral mucosa, eliminating the need for a skin incision in the neck area and therefore leaving no visible scar. Recovery is relatively fast, making it easier for patients to return to their daily lives, and it is also considered advantageous because it generally causes less pain than the axillary approach.

Kim began performing robotic thyroid cancer surgery in 2014 while working at Pusan National University Hospital, and has accumulated extensive operative experience at Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital and Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital, among others. He now applies robotic surgery to most thyroid cancer cases, except for certain high-risk cases, and surgery is also possible even when there is accompanying lateral neck lymph node metastasis.

As the outcomes of these robotic surgeries have become more widely known, patients are now coming not only from Busan but also from nearby regions such as Changwon, Yangsan, Ulsan, and Gimhae.

Kim said, "Minimizing scarring is often cited as a major advantage of robotic surgery, but the most important thing is how precisely and safely we can remove the cancer and lymph nodes," adding, "I will continue to prioritize safety and completeness in surgery so that patients can have confidence throughout the entire course of treatment."

Kim also regularly holds health meetings for surgical patients, personally explaining postoperative care and precautions, and is making efforts to strengthen communication with patients.

Kim Dongil, Chief of Thyroid Surgery at Joeun Gangan Hospital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.