Partial thyroidectomy under local anaesthesia-the analysis of 49 subsequent cases

Area of Science:

• Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Limited medical resources in the Central African Republic necessitated alternative surgical approaches.
• Goiter management often requires surgical intervention, posing challenges in resource-scarce environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and feasibility of partial thyroidectomy under local anesthesia for goiter treatment.
• To assess the outcomes of thyroid surgery performed with local infiltration anesthesia in a low-resource setting.

Main Methods:

• 49 patients with goiter underwent partial thyroidectomy using local anesthesia (1% lignocaine).
• Patients received oral sedation and antibiotics preoperatively.
• No specific inclusion or exclusion criteria were applied for patient selection.

Main Results:

• No intraoperative or postoperative complications, including laryngeal nerve injury, were reported.
• The average procedure time was 127 minutes.
• Patients achieved self-dependency within 4-6 hours post-surgery and were discharged within 3 days.

Conclusions:

• Partial thyroidectomy under local anesthesia is a viable and safe alternative for goiter management.
• This approach is particularly beneficial in settings with limited access to general anesthesia resources.
• The study demonstrates successful surgical outcomes with minimal complications in a challenging environment.