[Specialization in thyroid surgery].

Objective: To evaluate the results of surgically treated patients with benign thyroid disorders from Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery.

Methods: The clinical data of 496 patients operated for benign thyroid disorders were retrospectively analyzed in this department from January 2001 to April 2004. The incidence of complications, particularly postoperative permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypocalcemia, duration of surgery, incision length on the neck, hospitalization days and postoperative recurrence were evaluated.

Results: Unilateral total thyroidectomy with contralateral partial lobectomy was performed in 314 cases, unilateral total thyroidectomy with isthmectomy in 76, bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy with the remnant left at the upper pole in 29, isthmectomy in 3, total thyroidectomy in 46. The operations on 28 patients with substernal goiter have been successfully performed via cervical collar incision. Of these patients, the incidences of unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and temporary postoperative hypocalcemia were 0.2% (1/496) and 1.8% (9/496), respectively. There were no bilateral vocal cord paralyses and permanent hypocalcaemia. Postoperative hemorrhage requiring reoperation occurred in 3 cases (0.6%). No patients had incision infection. The mean duration of surgery was 66 min. The mean incision length on the neck was 5.2 cm. The incidence of postoperative recurrence was 0.2% (1/496). The mean hospitalization day was 6.3 d.

Conclusions: Otolaryngologists who had received stringent training of head and neck surgery seem to have the advantage to avoid injury of recurrent nerve in the thyroid surgery.