title: The PlasmaKinetic tissue management system in thyroid surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid surgery involves meticulous devascularization of the gland. Although conventional technique being a highly efficient technique for vessel bleeding control, it takes long time. The aim of this study was evaluate the efficacy of PlasmaKinetic to the conventional technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical records of 86 patients who underwent primary thyroid surgery by the same surgeon at our clinic between June 2006 and January 2008. Total thyroidectomy was performed at all of the patients in the study group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the incidence of postoperative cord palsy was 2.32%, transient hypoparathyroidism was 4.6%. There was no significant difference in consideration of age, gender, thyroid gland weight, and complication rates between the PlasmaKinetic group and conventional group (p>0.05). Operation time, mean drainage from the suction drain and duration of hospital stay of the patients in PlasmaKinetic group were significantly lower than those in conventional group (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PlasmaKinetic technique decreases the operation time to a level of less than 50 minutes with no increase at complication rate (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 14). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
authors.affiliation: Ankara Ataturk Teaching and Research Hospital, General Surgery Department, Ankara, Turkey. dreergul@gmail.com
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ergul
authors.forename: Ali Erkan
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kusdemir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000098:blood supply; D013965:Thyroidectomy