To drain or not to drain following thyroidectomy.: A prospective, randomized study.

Objectives: To ascertain the use of draining the thyroid bed following surgery.

Methods: Fifty four patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were enrolled in the study between March 2021 and July 2022 and randomly allocated into 2 groups - a drain group and a no drain group. The hospital stay, operating time, post operative pain, post operative complications, cosmesis, and patient's perspectives were compared.

Results: The mean duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter in the no drain group as compared to the drain group. The post operative pain, as assessed by the Mankoski Pain Scale (MPS) was significantly higher in the drain group than in the no drain group. The cosmetic evaluation undertaken using the Hollander Wound Evaluation Scale, noted that there was a statistically significant difference in scarring between the 2 groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the duration of surgery and post operative complications between the two groups. Patient satisfaction was also noted to be superlative in the no drain group.

Conclusion: The routine drain placement following thyroidectomy places the patient at a disadvantage in terms of longer hospitalisation, increased post operative pain and poor cosmetic outcome.