title: Complication of thyroidectomy in patients with radiation-induced thyroid neoplasms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The complication rate for thyroidectomy is the same in patients with and without a history of radiation exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective medical record review of 171 consecutive patients who had a previous history of radiation treatment and had undergone a thyroid operation from 1961 to 1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center and affiliated hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected 107 patients with a history of radiation exposure who had undergone thyroid operations (81 total thyroidectomies) and 107 control patients who underwent comparable operations but had no history of radiation exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among patients with a history of radiation exposure (mean age, 47.2 years), there was 1 recurrent nerve injury, 1 external nerve injury, 20 patients with transient hypocalcemia, and 1 patient with a hematoma. Among patients without a history of radiation exposure (mean age, 47.5 years), there were 2 recurrent nerve injuries, 18 patients with transient hypocalcemia, and 1 patient with a hematoma. All cases of hypocalcemia and recurrent nerve injury in both groups were transient. One patient had a permanent superior laryngeal nerve injury. In patients who underwent operations since January 1, 1990, duration of hospitalization was 1.2 days in patients with a history of radiation exposure (65 patients) and 1.1 days in patients without (101 patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data document that the risk of transient and permanent complications after total thyroidectomy is similar in patients with and without a history of radiation exposure. The relatively low long-term complication rate supports prophylactic total thyroidectomy for patients with thyroid nodules and a history of radiation exposure.
authors.affiliation: National Defense Medical College, Kushiro, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Nancy D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Perrier
authors.forename: W Keat
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.forename: Alan E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Siperstein
authors.forename: Quan-Yang
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Duh
authors.forename: Orlo H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy