Robotic Thyroidectomy: A Bilateral Axillo-Breast Approach (BABA)
Hyunsuk Suh, MD
The Mount Sinai Hospital

Bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) is a contemporary technique for remote-access thyroidectomy. BABA robotic thyroidectomy (RT) offers a number of benefits over other remote-access thyroidectomy techniques, such as provision of a three-dimensional symmetric view of bilateral thyroid lobes and optimal visualization of important anatomical landmarks, including the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), thyroidal vessels, parathyroid glands, and the trachea.

This educational video is a thorough demonstration of BABA RT performed on a young female patient diagnosed with a left-sided thyroid nodule in her early thirties. The thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy of the 4-cm nodule was indeterminate. Additional molecular testing of the specimen had revealed one of the mutations associated with thyroid cancer. Therefore, a diagnostic thyroid lobectomy was planned. The patient had expressed a strong desire to avoid an obvious neck scar, and therefore, the BABA RT was offered.