title: Reducing neck incision length during thyroid surgery does not improve satisfaction in patients.
abstract: Postoperative neck cosmesis is a major concern of patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Patients will likely be more satisfied with the long-term cosmetic appearance of smaller than larger thyroidectomy scars. We, therefore, investigated the relationship between scar length following conventional thyroid surgery and patient satisfaction. An anonymous scar-assessment questionnaire was administered to patients who underwent conventional thyroid surgery. The 2,041 patients were asked to rate their satisfaction with their scars on a ten-point Likert scale, with one being very unsatisfied and ten being very satisfied. The mean satisfaction score was significantly lower in the benign condition than in malignancy (6.9 ± 2.5 vs. 7.4 ± 2.5; p = 0.021), whereas there were no differences in satisfaction score among subgroups of patients with benign condition (p = 0.837). In patients with thyroid cancer, the mean satisfaction scores were similar among subgroups according to operation type and scar length (p = 0.820). Incision length was not associated with patient satisfaction in thyroid surgery patients and therefore may not be critical in decision making for thyroid cancer surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Thyroid Cancer Center, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonjuro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Mo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Ho Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Bup-Woo
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hang-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Cheong Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*