[SURGICAL TREATMENT OF THYROID GLAND IN ELDERLY PATIENTS: OUR EXPERIENCES]

The share of elderly persons in the population is growing rapidly and continuously. Requirements for their surgical treatment are increasing and so is the number of published papers on the safety and success of some surgical procedures performed in these patients. The present study included 183 patients aged ≥65 out of 897 patients surgically treated for thyroid gland diseases. They were divided into two groups (group 1 aged 65-69 and group 2 aged ≥70) in order to determine between-group differences in the indications, surgical strategy, final histopathologic analysis, preoperative physical status, number of comorbid diseases and postoperative complications. Analysis of the results justified our decision to divide our patients into two groups of younger and older ones. In group 1, the indications for surgery were mostly benign changes (93.2%), whereas malignant, verified and suspected disease was considerably more frequent in group 2 (21.8%), with a significantly higher percentage of compressive syndrome. Significant between-group differences were recorded in the preoperative physical status (group 2: ASA III and IV, 73.8% and 5%, respectively), number of thyroidectomies performed (group 1, 56.2% vs. group 2, 77.3%) and secondary hemithyroidectomy. A difference was also found in the number of surgical and non surgical complications. The absence of a higher percentage of permanent complications, hypocalcemia and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, in total and by groups, confirmed that surgical treatment of thyroid gland diseases can be considered safe and successful in older age groups, regardless of the between-group differences observed.