[Surgical therapy of benign thyroid gland diseases]

Operations due to benign thyroid diseases are one of the most common elective surgical procedures performed in Germany. In the majority of cases, the preoperative determination of the serum thyrotropin concentration and an ultrasound of the thyroid region are sufficient preoperative investigations. In cases of thyroid functional disorders a scintigram should be additionally performed. Indications for operation in nodular goiter are local, mechanical compression, suspicion of malignancy and focal or disseminated autonomy. In Graves' disease the indication for operation is usually recurrent hyperthyroidism after medical treatment. In endemic nodular goiter the morphology of the nodular thyroid tissue is the guideline for resection; i.e. all nodules have to be removed. In Graves' disease the function of the remaining thyroid tissue is essential. The standardized subtotal resection with remaining tissue around the hilus, which frequently barries nodules, should be avoided. Instead a selective resection which takes the individual morphology and function of the diseased thyroid tissue into account should be favorized. With this operative technique the surgeon will have frequently direct contact with the recurrent nerve and the parathyroids. It is documented, that intraoperative visualisation of the recurrent nerve decreases not only the rate of permanent nerve damages but increases as well the completeness of resection. Additionally, ligation of the inferior thyroid artery decreases the incidence of residual or recurrent disease without enlarging the risk of postoperative parathyroiprive hypocalcemia. An individual follow-up with iodine and/or thyroxine replacement therapy is an indispensable component of the surgical therapeutic approach. The target of thyroxine substitution in patients after resection due to benign thyroid diseases is a physiologic serum thyrotropin concentration (0.3 to 4.0 mU/l).