title: A longitudinal study of thyroidectomized patients in a region of northern Italy: benign versus malignant disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thyroid disease is very common, particularly nodular goiter. Total thyroidectomy is a therapeutic option for both malignant and benign disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the number of total thyroidectomy surgeries and the rate of benign and malignant histologic exams over the last decade.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital discharge records in the Emilia Romagna region (Italy) that reported total thyroidectomy as the principal surgical procedure and included the relative histologic diagnosis were reviewed for the period 2000 to 2010. Mean increment and geometric mean of increments per year were calculated to evaluate differences over the years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 25,000 patients underwent total thyroidectomy between 2000 and 2010. The total number of thyroidectomies increased over this period, with a mean increment of 7.16% per year. The percentage of malignancies among the total number of thyroidectomies increased from 26.1% (2000) to 39.9% (2010) (mean increment, 1.38% per year). Nontoxic multinodular goiter was the most frequent diagnosis, accounting for 36% of all thyroidectomies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of patients thyroidectomized for benign disease progressively decreased, as documented by a lower thyroidectomy/malignancy ratio. Currently, about 60% of thyroid interventions are performed for benign pathology. Improved preoperative diagnostic accuracy and the availability of nonsurgical procedures will presumably further reduce the number of thyroidectomies with benign histologic diagnoses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, V. Fazzi Hospital, Lecce, Italy. dr.negro@libero.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Negro
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gharib
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Savoldi
authors.forename: Verter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valcavi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D014463:Ultrasonography