[Is thyroid and parathyroid surgery safe? Is it suitable for one-day surgery?]

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Surgical Oncology
• General Surgery

Background:

• Thyroid and parathyroid surgery is generally safe, with low complication rates in high-volume centers.
• Increased demand for outpatient or short-stay thyroid surgery in select patient groups.
• This study evaluates complication rates and trends in thyroid surgery patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incidence of postoperative complications, specifically hematoma and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, following thyroid surgery.
• To compare complication rates at the Atlas Hospital with existing literature data.
• To assess the feasibility of outpatient or short-stay procedures for thyroid surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1943 thyroid surgery patients from 2008-2012 at Atlas Hospital.
• Focus on postoperative hematoma and recurrent nerve palsy.
• Comparison of observed complication rates with published literary data.

Main Results:

• Postoperative hematoma occurred in 1.1% of patients, with some cases presenting late and requiring emergency revision.
• Definitive unilateral recurrent nerve palsy was diagnosed in 0.77% of patients with complications (0.56% of "nerve at risk" cases).
• Two deaths occurred since 1995, both in elderly patients with severe comorbidities; other complications were manageable in an outpatient setting.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid surgery complication rates at Atlas Hospital align with literature findings, including the timing of complications.
• Outpatient and short-stay thyroid surgery protocols require strict patient selection criteria.
• The study supports the safety of thyroid surgery when performed on carefully chosen patients.