Postoperative Outcomes of Thyroid Surgery Following Recent COVID-19 Infection

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Surgical Oncology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• The impact of recent COVID-19 infection on thyroidectomy outcomes is not well understood.
• Assessing postoperative risks in patients with prior COVID-19 is crucial for surgical planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the 90-day postoperative complications in patients who underwent thyroidectomy with and without recent COVID-19 infection.
• To compare thyroidectomy-specific and general postoperative complications between the two groups.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study using a multi-institutional database.
• Adult patients undergoing thyroidectomy were divided into COVID-19 positive (within 7 weeks) and negative cohorts.
• Propensity score matching (1:1) was used to balance patient demographics, comorbidities, and surgical factors.

Main Results:

• 581 patients were analyzed in each matched cohort, with similar demographics and vaccination rates.
• No significant differences were observed in thyroidectomy-specific complications like hypocalcemia, recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, or dysphonia.
• While pulmonary embolism occurred in 2.6% of the COVID-19 cohort, other COVID-19-related complications were rare (<10 in each group).

Conclusions:

• Recent COVID-19 infection was not associated with an increased risk of major postoperative complications after thyroidectomy.
• Patients with recent COVID-19 can undergo thyroidectomy with comparable safety profiles to uninfected individuals.