Book excerpt: This book describes in detail the various techniques of minimally invasive thyroidectomy that have emerged in recent years and presents the new supportive equipment, including intraoperative monitoring and energy devices. In addition, the basic preoperative techniques that are a prerequisite to successful thyroidectomy are covered, and individual chapters are devoted to complications, outcomes, and post-thyroidectomy quality of life. Important related topics are also discussed, including guidelines for managing papillary and medullary thyroid cancer and the surgical management of metastatic lymph nodes. Both the editors and the authors are internationally renowned experts, and they include the founders of several of the techniques described. The up-to-date text is supplemented by many color pictures and medical illustrations, making the book very user-friendly and ideal for the busy surgeon or endocrinologist who is interested in the management of thyroid diseases.