[Diagnosis and treatment of retrosternal goiter]

Retrosternal and intrathoracal goiters are actual surgical problem. This is because of the severe clinical symptoms, complications and some difficulties at the operative treatment. For the period of 1991-2002 at the Clinic of Thoraco-Abdominal Surgery at Medical University Plovdiv are operated 1131 patients with thyroid disease. Of them 38 were operated with cervical incision, 3 with median sternotomy, 2 with thoracotomy. There were complication at 7 patients. Only one patient died from pulmonary embolism.