title: Radiologically predicting when a sternotomy may be required in the management of retrosternal goiters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgery remains the most effective treatment for retrosternal goiters. These commonly present as asymptomatic lesions in elderly patients, but may also cause airway and esophageal compression and, less commonly, may also be malignant. Although the majority of these goiters are amenable to transcervical thyroidectomy, in a minority of patients sternotomy is required. The ability to predict the need for sternotomy before operation would allow for safer surgery and operative counseling, as well as improved logistical efficiency if coordination with thoracic surgeons is required. In this report, we assess the radiologic factors that might be predictive of the need for sternotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective review of 97 retrosternal goiters for which thyroidectomy was performed within the otolaryngology department at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, between 2001 and 2011. There were a total of 80 cervical excisions and 17 cases in which sternotomy was required. A detailed computed tomographic analysis of these 17 cases was undertaken to assess the predictive factors for the requirement of sternotomy. The factors assessed included posterior mediastinal extension, presence of an ectopic nodule, extension below the carina, extension below the aortic arch, a "conical shape" of the goiter, and tracheal compression. These were compared to the same factors in the control group of 80 patients, and Fisher's exact test was used to determine statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The significant predictive factors for sternotomy, were posterior mediastinal extension, extension below the carina, and a "conical" goiter in which the thoracic inlet becomes a ring of constriction (all p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that it is possible to predict on the basis of computed tomographic imaging the need for sternotomy in retrosternal goiters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England.
authors.forename: Faruque
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riffat
authors.forename: Marcos Martinez
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Del Pero
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fish
authors.forename: Piyush
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006045:Goiter, Substernal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000379:methods*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*