Total thyroidectomy as primary elective procedure in multinodular thyroid disease.
BACKGROUND
Multinodular goitre is one of the commonest thyroid diseases encountered in the practice of surgery. The most common surgery being performed for multinodular goitre is subtotal thyroidectomy. Total thyroidectomy is designed to remove all of the thyroid tissue. The objective of this study was to evaluate total thyroidectomy as a primary elective procedure for treatment of multinodular thyroid disease. This descriptive study was carried out at Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi from June 2003 to September 2006.


METHODS
88 patients of multinodular thyroid disease were included. Patients having evidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve damage, recurrent goitre, evidence of altered parathyroid functions or evidence of malignancy were excluded. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy by the same team of surgeons and the patients were closely followed up for postoperative complications especially in terms of recurrent laryngeal nerve damage and hypocalcaemic tetany.


RESULTS
No major postoperative complication was noted. Only 1 patient (1.14%) developed unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve damage and 2 patients (2.27%) developed transient hypocalcaemia that recovered quickly.


CONCLUSIONS
Total thyroidectomy as a primary elective procedure in multinodular thyroid disease is a safe option and it removes the disease process completely, lowers local recurrence rates and avoids the substantial risks of reoperative surgery.
Department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Muzafarabad.
Irfan Ali
IA
Sheikh
Sheikh Saadat Ullah
SS
Waleem
Irfan Zafar
IZ
Haider
Asna
A
Haroon
Muhammad
M
Ashfaq
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods