title: Management of retrosternal goiters: experience of a surgical unit.
abstract: The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze 5 years' experience of cervico-mediastinal goiters (CMG) management. Twenty-five patients with cervico-mediastinal goiters underwent surgery between January 1998 and December 2002. The group consisted of 16 females and 9 males (mean age, 48.2 years; range, 42-74 years). A total thyroidectomy under general anesthesia was always performed. A no. 7 Fogarty catheter with a 5-ml balloon was employed in the seven last cases to lift the retrosternal portion of the goiter into the neck. The mean postoperative stay was 3 days (range, 1-7 days), and the mean follow-up time was 29 months (range, 1-58 months). There were no postoperative deaths; overall morbidity rate was 28.0%. One patient with a severe life-threatening hematoma required surgical re-exploration. Surgery for CMGs shows a low morbidity rate; total thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice to prevent recurrences or re-surgery for malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Section of General, Vascular, and Clinical Oncology, Department of Application in Surgery of Innovative Technologies, University Medical School, Bari, Italy. mario.testini@tin.it
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Testini
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nacchiero
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miniello
authors.forename: Amato Stabile
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ianora
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccinni
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Venere
authors.forename: Germana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lissidini
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurrado
authors.forename: G Martino
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Bonomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006045:Goiter, Substernal / Q000601:surgery*; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome