Hypothyroidism after Hemithyroidectomy: The Incidence and Risk Factors.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of post-hemithyroidectomy hypothyroidism and identify possible risk factors that indicates whether patients require thyroid function monitoring after surgery.

Material And Method: A retrospective review of patients with benign non-toxic thyroid disease undergoing hemithyroidectomy between April 2004 and November 2008 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Siriraj Hospital was conducted All patients were in euthyroid state preoperatively. Thyroid specimens were examined for pathological diagnosis and degree of lymphocytic infiltration in thyroid tissue, and thyroid function was evaluated again six weeks after surgery.