title: Thyroid surgery performed on an overnight basis: a 17 years of experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the results of thyroid surgeries with hospitalization periods shorter than 18 hours performed in a surgical endocrinology service, correlating these results with type of procedure, the definitive diagnosis and complications associated with the procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The procedures performed, complications associated, hospitalization period, and relationships among these variables were assessed in consecutive patients subjected to different types of thyroid surgeries from January 1997 to March 2014 by the same group of surgeons. Data were analyzed by frequency, and the associations between the hospitalization period and other variables were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, using a multiple comparisons test with Bonferroni correction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 3,411 surgeries performed, 799 of them were malignant neoplasia, 2,505 were benign tumors and 107 were Graves' disease. The following procedures were performed: total thyroidectomy (1597 patients); total thyroidectomy with neck exploration (369 patients); lobectomy plus isthmectomy (1084 patients); total thyroidectomy complementation (145 patients); total thyroidectomy with neck dissection (84 patients); modified radical total thyroidectomy (13 patients); nodulectomy (11 patients); unresectable (9 patients); central neck dissection (48 patients); lateral neck dissection (38 patients); and others (13 patients). The following surgical complications, characteristic of the procedure: hemorrhage in 41 (1.2%) patients, hypoparathyroidism in 10 (0.3%) patients and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury in 23 (0.7%) patients. Hospitalization shorter than 18 hours was observed in 97% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thyroid surgery can be safely performed in virtually all patients on an overnight basis in specialized services.
authors.affiliation: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alberto Salgueiro
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.affiliation: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Treiguer
authors.affiliation: Mãe de Deus Hospital, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vinicius Grando
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Gava
authors.affiliation: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jose Luiz Brum
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.affiliation: Mãe de Deus Hospital, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Ernani
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.affiliation: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Iracema
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Airton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golbert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011997:Recovery Room / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult