title: Outpatient hemithyroidectomy: A retrospective feasibility analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Outpatient surgery is a major public health policy issue. It is controversial for total thyroidectomy, which raises the question of hemithyroidectomy. The present study assessed our experience in outpatient hemithyroidectomy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the rates of postoperative hematoma and unscheduled hospital admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted in two hospital centers between January 2009 and December 2013. Exclusion criteria for outpatient hemithyroidectomy comprised: ASA score >2, anticoagulant therapy, risk of completion procedure, and associated procedure requiring >12 hours' surveillance. Data were collated for age, gender, weight, postoperative complications, and unscheduled hospital admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 294 hemithyroidectomies were performed, 130 of which on an outpatient basis (44%). There were no medical contraindications to outpatient surgery in 64% of patients operated on under conventional admission. In the outpatient group, mean age was 44 years. Eight completion thyroidectomies were performed in the outpatient group, and only two patients required admission for surveillance, with no revision surgeries. All patients were satisfied or very satisfied with outpatient management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, outpatient hemithyroidectomy was safe and reliable.
authors.affiliation: Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Endocrinienne et Transplantation Hépatique, CHU Tours, Avenue de la République, 37170 Chambray-lès-Tours, France. Electronic address: yakhlefh@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yakhlef
authors.affiliation: Servie de Chirurgie Polyvalente, Centre Hospitalier Blois, Mail Pierre Charlot, 41016 Blois, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Marboeuf
authors.affiliation: Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Endocrinienne et Thoracique, CHR Orléans, Avenue de l'Hôpital, 45100 Orléans, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piquard
authors.affiliation: Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Endocrinienne et Thoracique, CHR Orléans, Avenue de l'Hôpital, 45100 Orléans, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saint Marc
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Completion thyroidectomy; Hemithyroidectomy; Outpatient