title: Does intraoperative radioguided surgery influence the complication rates and completeness of completion thyroidectomy?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate whether radioguided surgery (RGS) has any beneficial effects on the complication rates and the completeness of completion thyroidectomy (CT) in a center experienced in endocrine surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three patients scheduled for CT for thyroid carcinoma were randomly selected for 2 types of intervention. CT was performed by RGS following administration of 5 mCi technetium-99m in 15 patients (group 1) and with conventional surgical exploration without RGS in 18 patients (group 2). The duration of the CT, thyroid function tests, iodine-131 uptake at 24 hours at the third postoperative week, and complication rates were compared between groups 1 and 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In groups 1 and 2, the duration of CT (63.3 +/- 7.5 vs 65 +/- 10.8 minutes, P = .7), postoperative serum thyrotropin-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (43.9 +/- 17.5 mIU/L vs 36.8 +/- 8.6 mIU/L, P = .2), postoperative (131)I uptake at 24 hours (6.86 +/- 1.7 vs 7.0 +/- 1.3, P = .8), and complication rates (13.3% vs 5.6%, P = .6) showed no significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RGS during CT offers no benefit over conventional surgical exploration with respect to operation time, complication rates, or completeness of surgery in a center experienced in endocrine surgery. However, it might be helpful for general surgeons who are less familiar with re-operative thyroid surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. drfatihtunca@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tunca
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.forename: Tarik
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terzioglu
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mudun
authors.forename: Isik
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adalet
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salmaslioglu
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tezelman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012086:Reoperation; D013667:Technetium; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013667:Technetium