[Joint work of surgeon and assistant in minimally invasive video-assisted hemithyroidectomy and its effect on duration of surgeries and learning period].

Objective: To analyze assistants` influence on duration of surgery and learning period in minimally invasive video-assisted hemithyroidectomy.

Material And Methods: The same surgeon performed 67 minimally invasive video-assisted hemithyroidectomies. Duration of surgery was analyzed in assistants with various number of interventions. Learning curves were designed using logarithmic function.

Results: Eight specialists with the same professional skill assisted to surgeon. Each of these specialists performed certain number of operations. Learning period made up 19, 26 and 44 procedures for mean numbers of assistances 21, 8 and 3, respectively. Duration of surgery in the group with 21 assistances was 63.96±2.94 min, for 3 assistances - 80.53±7.07 min in each of 6 assistants (z= -2.38; <0.017).

Conclusion: Constant surgeon`s assistants is a factor reducing surgery time. Higher number of operations with the same assistant has a reliable inverse correlation with surgery time and duration of learning period.