Observational studyHead & neck2026
Prospective Evaluation of Surgical Ergonomics Among Endocrine Surgeons in Open Thyroidectomy: A Pilot Study.
Observational study in Head & neck, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSurgeons performing open thyroidectomy are prone to ergonomic strain due to head-mounted lighting, prolonged static posture, and repetitive fine-motor activity. Limited objective data exist on ergonomic stress in endocrine surgery. MATERIALS AND
methodsThis prospective observational pilot study was conducted in a tertiary endocrine surgery department. Thirty-two open hemithyroidectomy cases were evaluated. Surgeons were divided into operating and assistant cohorts. Pre- and post-operative assessments included salivary biomarkers (AST, CK, LDH), hand grip strength, and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) scoring.
resultsOperating surgeons demonstrated significant rises in salivary CK (3.5 → 11 U/L), AST (3.8 → 15 U/L), and LDH (102 → 370 U/L) (all p < 0.001), with a modest, non-significant decline in grip strength. Assistant surgeons showed significant increases in CK (4.9 → 16.85 U/L) and AST (19 → 32.8 U/L), a slight reduction in LDH, and a significant improvement in grip strength (201 → 535.5 N, p < 0.001). RULA scores indicated greater ergonomic strain in operating surgeons (median 4) compared to assistants (median 3, p < 0.001).
conclusionOpen thyroidectomy imposes considerable ergonomic and physiological stress, with operating surgeons bearing higher strain from static posture and awkward positioning. Assistant surgeons experience different but measurable patterns of muscular activation. This study highlights the feasibility of combining salivary biomarkers, grip strength, and RULA scoring for ergonomic assessment and emphasizes the need for ergonomic awareness in surgical training.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.