ABSTRACT

To evaluate our thyroidectomy cases and present our experience

Sixty-eight thyroidectomy patients who were operated between 2008 and 2012 at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ear Nose and Throat Department were included in the study. The demographic characteristics, pathological diagnosis, surgical procedures, complications, and postoperative clinical follow-up were evaluated retrospectively

Of the patients 63 were primary and 5 were revision patients. Thirty-seven patients (54%) were operated for malignant pathology. The most common pathology was papillary carcinoma (44%) then nodular goiter (32%) was seen. Nerve monitor was routinely used in all operations. The most common surgical method is total thyroidectomy (76%). Of the 37 malignant patients 21 had concurrent neck dissection (57%) and one had mediastinal dissection. Total laryngectomy was performed for 2 patients due to laryngeal invasion and concurrent parathyroidectomy was performed for 1 patient due to synchronous parathyroid adenoma. Neck dissection was performed to 3 primary patients (8%) due to lymph node metastasis to the neck. Transient hypocalcemia (15%) was the most common complication in the postoperative period. None of the patients had vocal cord paralysis secondary to the surgery

Preoperative evaluation of patients with thyroid pathology is important. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury could be decreased by the usage of nerve monitor routinely when neck dissection. As the presence of clinical suspicion, performing concurrent neck dissection with thyroidectomy may decrease the neck metastasis during follow-up significantly