OBJECTIVE: To review our experience of total thyroidectomy for bilateral multinodular goitre.
DESIGN: Prospective open study.
SETTING: Teaching hospital, Malaysia.
SUBJECTS: 98 consecutive patients whose bilateral multinodular goitres were treated by total thyroidectomy, January 1998-November 1999.
INTERVENTION: A revised technique of total thyroidectomy in which more attention than is customary was paid to the exposure and safety of the laryngeal nerves and the parathyroid glands. All patients had at least 1 parathyroid gland autotransplanted.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidity and mortality
RESULTS: There were no injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerves and no patient developed persistent hypocalcaemia; 27/98 developed transient hypocalcaemia, but this had settled by 6 months postoperatively. 59 patients had persistent symptoms of pressure preoperatively, and these all resolved by 3 months postoperatively. 6 patients had occult malignant disease discovered on histological examination, and 3 developed minor wound infections.
CONCLUSIONS: Total thyroidectomy is the procedure of choice for bilateral multinodular goitres, provided that sufficient attention is paid to the preservation of the laryngeal nerves and the parathyroid glands.
A case of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve is reported. The non-recurrent laryngeal nerve was found on the right side and was not associated with any vascular abnormalities. The anatomy and surgical implication of this rare condition is discussed
BACKGROUND: Acute life threatening presentations of thyroid disease are uncommon. The aim of this study was to review our experience of emergency thyroid surgery with regard to the incidence, management and outcome to this approach.
METHODS: Forty patients who underwent emergency thyroid surgery from December 1998 to December 2007 were prospectively accrued in this study. There were 30 female and 10 male patients. The mean age was 63.8 years (range, 33-83 years). All patients had total thyroidectomy, except one patient who only had a right hemithyroidectomy for a dominant right multinodular goiter. Eight of the patients had been intubated before referring to our centre.
RESULTS: The mean weight of specimen was 219 g (range, 32-800 g). A histopathology report confirmed 16 patients had multinodular goiters, eight patients had papillary thyroid carcinomas, seven patients had anaplastic cancers, four patients had follicular thyroid carcinomas, two patients had thyroid lymphoma, one patient had medullary carcinoma, one patient had sarcoma and one patient had thyroid abscess. A total of 28 patients were discharged well postoperatively.
CONCLUSION: Acute life threatening presentations of thyroid disease are uncommon. However, early recognition of these problems is crucial and may life saving. Emergency thyroidectomy is important to release the critically obstructed airways. Nonetheless it is associated with higher risk of surgery and complication rate then any elective thyroid surgery.
A retrospective review of 107 patients operated on for multinodular goitre was carried out to determine the incidence of carcinoma. Of the group 7.5 per cent harboured incidental carcinomas with papillary carcinoma being the most common variety. The indications for removal of multinodular goitre should be compressive symptoms, suspicion of malignancy and cosmesis.
Mask ventilation is one of the most important skills in airway management. Difficulty in mask ventilation can become life threatening if it is associated with difficulty in intubation during general anesthesia. We report a potential impossible ventilation condition which was safely and easily overcome with appropriate innovative modification of an Opsite adhesive film.