[Quality assurance in goiter surgery by rate of recurrent nerve paralysis]

We analyzed the results of 1147 thyroid operations performed at a teaching hospital over a period of 3 years. These results were submitted to an internal quality control. We studied the factors that influenced the surgical complication rate and particularly the rate of a palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Operations of 'simple' goitres showed only a very low risk of post-operative complications whereas the risk for patients with Graves' disease, a carcinoma or a recurrent goitre was a markedly higher. The rate of a permanent palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was just 0.5% for a simple goitre but as high as 7.8% for a relapse. Not just the underlying disease but the surgeon and his surgical technique play an important role in the incidence of a palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. If a sophisticated surgical technique is applied without exposing the recurrent laryngeal nerve but leaving the fascial layer that covers the nerve and the vessels of the throat intact, there are no differences between the results of these operations and such where the nerve is routinely demonstrated. The follow-up of the patients with recurrent nerve palsy showed a medium recovery time of half a year. In one of six patients with temporary palsy the restitution was seen after more then one year.