Does draining the neck affect morbidity following thyroid surgery?

A prospective randomized study questioning the benefit of neck drainage in thyroid surgery is presented. Two hundred consecutive patients, candidates for elective thyroid surgery, were randomized into Group A (no drain) and Group B (drain). Reoperation for bleeding was necessary for two patients of Group A and for one patient in Group B. Minor hematomas occurred in seven patients from Group A and five patients from Group B; wound infection occurred in two and four patients in Groups A and B, respectively; and lymphatic discharge occurred in two patients from Group B. These differences were not statistically different. The present study failed to demonstrate any protective value from the use of drains. However, the hospital stay was shorter and pain scores were smaller in the non-drain Group A.