[Emergencies in thyroid surgery. Our experience]

The rate of complications after thyroid surgery is about 5% and among these real emergencies account for less than 1%, consisting in intraoperative and postoperative bleeding, bilateral recurrent palsy, severe hypoparathyroidism and, rarely, laryngeal oedema and tracheomalacia. Between 2000 and 2004 849 patients were submitted to total thyroidectomy for various thyroid pathologies in our institution. Complications observed were postoperative bleeding in 13 patients (1.5%), laryngeal recurrent nerve palsy in 18 (monolateral in 14 - 8 transient and 6 permanent - and bilateral in 4, 3 of which transient), transient hypoparathyroidism in 390 (45.9%), permanent hypoparathyroidism in 10 (out of 400 patients followed up for more than one year = 2.5%). Tetanic crises were observed in 33 patients (3.9%). One patient, on treatment with heparin, showed a glottic haemorrhagic oedema (probably caused by trauma after endotracheal intubation) treated by an emergency tracheotomy on postoperative day two. Thyroid surgery is today very safe and morbidity is rare. Anatomical knowledge and accuracy of surgical indications are the main factors capable of reducing the number of complications. Experience in performing thyroid surgery is essential for the best outcome with the fewest complications. Complications of total thyroidectomy can be minimised with increasing experience and refinement of surgical technique.