Thyroid Surgery Complications: Frequency of Thyroid Surgery Complications and its association to the Extent of Procedure

Abstract

Objectives: To Determine the frequency of thyroid surgery complications and its Association to the extent of procedure. Study Design: Cross sectional comparative study. Setting: Surgical and Radiological Department of District Head Quarters (DHQ) Hospital, Madina Teaching Hospital (MTH) and Allied Hospital Faisalabad. Duration: From December 2007 to December 2009. Subjects: 90 patients admitted with goiter due to benign diseases. Methods: In Group A, 30 patients underwent unilateral lobectomy.  In Group B surgical procedure was Total Thyroidectomy. In Group C patients underwent Subtotal Thyroidectomy. Post operative complications were noted in each group and all three groups were compared. Results:  we compared different complications like hemorrhage, respiratory distress, thyroid storm, and hypocalcaemia, injury to recurrent laryngeal or external laryngeal nerves or to cervical sympathetic chain, wound infection, and recurrence of goiter and hypocalcaemia.    After excluding hypothyroidism as complication, (as all the patients in group B developed a hypothyroidism), in group A, one patient developed fore mentioned complications and in group B, ten patients developed complications. In group C complications noted in three patients were more as compared to group A but less as compared to group B. Conclusion: More extensive procedures are associated with greater number of complications in thyroid surgery.