Department Of Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai, New York, USA 06 Dec. 2017

Dr. Hyunsuk Suh led a team of surgeons at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in performing the first robotic neck dissection using the Bilateral Axlio-Breast Approach (BABA). Dr. Suh brought the “hidden scar” technique to Mount Sinai after completing a fellowship in robotic endocrine surgery at Seoul National University.

The BABA technique is minimally invasive with four keyhole incisions: one in each areola and one in each armpit. The keyholes provide access to the surgical instruments that assist Dr. Suh in preserving the critical structures while removing the diseased lymph nodes. In addition, the procedure places the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) at risk of injury. To reduce this risk, Dr. Suh prioritizes locating and monitoring the nerve using intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) technology.

The nerve monitoring system and EMG accessories enable the assessment of RLN activity throughout the procedure. This integration with the robot supports surgical decision-making and confirms the delicate structures of the nerve are being preserved. As a result, the surgeon can achieve maximal tumor resection with a lower risk of complications, reduce scarring, and improve recovery times.

Dr. Suh is a leading expert in robotic thyroid surgery. He has performed over 500 minimally invasive thyroid surgeries. In 2020, Dr. Suh opened The Suh Scarless Thyroid Surgery Center alongside the Clayman Thyroid Surgery Center in Tampa, Florida.

Learn more about Dr. Suh’s scarless thyroid surgery and the results:

JOMI Journal of Video Endocrinology
Newswise, Mount Sinai Surgeons Remove Cancerous Lymph Nodes in the Neck Through Hidden Scar Procedure
Robotic Thyroid Surgery
Amazing New Thyroid Operation