title: Utilization of thyroidectomy for benign disease in the United States: a 15-year population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent recommendations suggest that total thyroidectomy (TT) is the preferred treatment for benign thyroid disease. This approach remains controversial because of the increased risk of morbidity compared with a partial thyroidectomy (PT). The aim of this study was to determine the use of thyroidectomy for benign disease over a 15-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred nineteen thousand eight hundred eighty-five patients from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (1993-2007) underwent surgery for benign thyroid disease. Logistic regression was used to assess the relation between extent of thyroidectomy and the year of admission, hospital volume, and surgical outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of TT increased from 17.6% (1993-1997) to 39.6% (2003-2007) compared with 82.4% and 60.4% for PT over the same periods (P < .0001). A greater proportion of TTs was performed in high-volume centers in which the rates of postoperative complications were lower than low-volume centers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of TT for benign thyroid disease has increased over the last 15 years in the United States. This pattern of practice is in keeping with the trends reported in recent literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. thomasho95@gmail.com
authors.forename: Thomas W T
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Abdel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.forename: Elijah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology