title: Thyroid surgery in the elderly: a comparative experience of 400 patients from an Italian university hospital.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare disease features and surgical complications of patients undergoing surgery under or over 65 years of age. We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing thyroidectomy or lobectomy from January 1990 through January 2012 in our Institution. Patients aged over 65 years of age were compared with younger patients on a 1:1 ratio. A total of 2012 patients were operated on during the study period. Two-hundred patients aged > 65 years were compared with 200 patients < 65 years old. In this series, no significant differences were observed concerning surgical complications between groups. At multivariate analysis, masses causing compression, extended approaches and malignant lesions were significant predictors of complications, irrespective of age. Due to longer life expectancy, elderly patients are being operated on more frequently. Safety of thyroid surgery in this population is still debated. We observed no difference in surgical outcomes between elderly and younger patients; however, some features of the diseases impair survival in the former. Age did not increase likeliness of worse outcomes in patients receiving thyroid surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Second University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvestro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canonico
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellino
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pameggiani
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sciaudone
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Candilio
authors.forename: G Serena
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: De Fatico
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Landino
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcellinaro
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Parmeggiani
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Complication; Elderly; Lobectomy; Thyroid surgery; Thyroidectomy