title: Local anesthesia in thyroid surgery--own experience and literature review.
abstract: The local anesthesia in thyroid surgery is rarely used, only in selected patients. Majority of centers performing thyroid surgery with local anesthesia have possibility to convert to the general anesthesia. The aim of the study was to present our experiences with partial thyroidectomy under local anesthesia performed in 49 consecutive subjects in the Central African Republic (bilateral subtotal strumectomy, total resection of the one lobe, subtotal resection of the one lobe).
  
  
  METHODS
  All admitted patients with clinically significant goiter were accepted for surgical treatment. For infiltration anesthesia 1% lignocaine was used. Because of the shortage of medical resources, potential conversion to the general anesthesia was impossible. Before the operation patients had received an oral sedation and antibiotic. In 16 patients general anesthesia was used, in other 33 it was impossible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subtotal bilateral thyroidectomy was performed in 37 patients, 12 patients underwent lobectomy or partial lobectomy of the affected portion of the gland. There were no intraoperative and postoperative complications noticed in the reported group, including complications related to laryngeal nerve injury. The mean duration of the procedure was 127 minutes and mean medical follow-up was 3 days. General condition of all patients on the day of discharge from hospital was good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgery for goiter under local anesthesia may be a safe alternative where general anesthesia is not available or contraindicated for medical reasons. The infiltration anesthesia is simple to perform and reduces the number of complications potentially occurred at the C2-C4 neck plexus block.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrynological Surgery, Medical University in Poznań.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banasiewicz
authors.forename: Wiktor
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pyda
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wierzbicki
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biczysko
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Głyda
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwanik
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drews
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods*; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods*; D002488:Central African Republic; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult