Objective To investigate the safety of endoscopic inflatable thyroid surgery on elderly patients by comparing the clinical characteristics and incidence of postoperative complications between elderly and non-elderly patients.Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted on 204 patients who underwent endoscopic inflatable thyroid surgery at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from May 2021 to August 2024.Based on propensity score matching(PSM),a total of 54 elderly patients(age ≥60 years)and 150 middle-aged and young patients(18-59 years)were selected for comparison of clinical data,surgical-related indicators,and postoperative outcomes between the two groups.Results After matching,baseline data in both groups exhibited no statistically significant differences(P＞0.05).There were no statistically significant variances(P＞0.05)in intraoperative blood loss,surgical time,postoperative drainage volume,Faces Pain Scale-Revised(FPS-R),hoarseness,or hypoparathyroidism between the two groups.Although the two groups differed significantly in the Charlson Comorbidity Index(CCI)and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index(aCCI)(P＜0.05),there were no significant differences in the postoperative delirium,acute cardiocerebrovascular events,hospitalization costs,or postoperative length of stay(P＞0.05).One patient in the elderly group had postoperative delirium and but recovered 5 days after surgery.Conclusion Although elderly patients have more chronic complications than non-elderly,endoscopic thyroid surgery in elderly patients with thyroid tumors remains safe and effective,which makes it deserve clinical application.

Objective To investigate the safety of endoscopic inflatable thyroid surgery on elderly patients by comparing the clinical characteristics and incidence of postoperative complications between elderly and non-elderly patients.Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted on 204 patients who underwent endoscopic inflatable thyroid surgery at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from May 2021 to August 2024.Based on propensity score matching(PSM),a total of 54 elderly patients(age ≥60 years)and 150 middle-aged and young patients(18-59 years)were selected for comparison of clinical data,surgical-related indicators,and postoperative outcomes between the two groups.Results After matching,baseline data in both groups exhibited no statistically significant differences(P＞0.05).There were no statistically significant variances(P＞0.05)in intraoperative blood loss,surgical time,postoperative drainage volume,Faces Pain Scale-Revised(FPS-R),hoarseness,or hypoparathyroidism between the two groups.Although the two groups differed significantly in the Charlson Comorbidity Index(CCI)and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index(aCCI)(P＜0.05),there were no significant differences in the postoperative delirium,acute cardiocerebrovascular events,hospitalization costs,or postoperative length of stay(P＞0.05).One patient in the elderly group had postoperative delirium and but recovered 5 days after surgery.Conclusion Although elderly patients have more chronic complications than non-elderly,endoscopic thyroid surgery in elderly patients with thyroid tumors remains safe and effective,which makes it deserve clinical application.