Surgery for thyrotoxicosis

Recent reports have suggested the use of radio-iodine for the treatment of all cases of thyrotoxicosis. This paper evaluates the results of 627 patients undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy with a mean follow-up of 5 X 8 years. The most common complications were hypothyroidism (26 X 6 per cent) and recurrent thyrotoxicosis (2 X 6 per cent). Permanent hypocalcaemia occurred in 8 cases (1 X 4 per cent) and one patient developed a permanent, though asymptomatic, unilateral cord palsy (0 X 2 per cent). Ultimately all patients receiving radio-iodine appear to become hypothyroid and there is continued worry about possible thyroid malignancy. Almost 70 per cent of our cases were free of complications and euthyroid and we therefore believe that surgery remains the treatment of choice for thyrotoxicosis. We also discuss the difference in results between Graves disease and toxic multinodular goitre.