[A 7-year experience with goiter surgery in an otorhinolaryngologic department. A retrospective study of the the period 1990-1996].
The aim of this study was quality assurance and to analyse the frequency of complications following thyroid surgery. The most dreaded surgical complications are permanent injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve or persistent hypocalcaemia. Our surgical procedure included the use of the surgical microscope in connection with thyroid grand surgery. Our materiel includes 122 patients who underwent surgery for benign thyroid diseases in our department from 1990-1996. In nearly 50% of all cases a lobectomy was performed, reserving resections and subtotal thyroidectomy to special cases. Resections were primarily done in the beginning of the period. The surgical microscope was used as a standard procedure to identify and expose the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the parathyroid glands. Primary thyroid grand surgery in benign disease resulted in permanent unilateral laryngeal nerve palsy in one case or in 0.83% of the patients. When calculated as nerves at risk, the complication rate was reduced to 0.67%. In benign completion surgery the complication rate was 0%. No patient developed persistent hypocalcaemia.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards