Completion thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer (results in a consecutive series of 68 patients).

AbstractIntroduction : Completion thyroidectomy plays an important role in the management of patients with thyroid cancer. The aim of this study is to determine the indications for and timing of a second surgery, as well as surgical complications.Material and methods : Operative reports, as well as the hospital and outpatient records of 686 consecutive patients, who had undergone surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer, were reviewed. Among these, 68 (9,9%) patient records of a completion thyroidectomy for cancer were analyzed.Results : The mean time interval between the first and second operation was 3.6 months (range: 1–9). Post-operative complications occurred in 9 patients (12,9%). Among three patients with inferior laryngeal nerve palsy (4,4%) one had definitive palsy (1.4%). Hypoparathyroidism occurred in 6 patients (8,8%) being permanent in one of them (1.4%). No significant difference either for definitive inferior laryngeal nerve lesions (p = 0.9) or for definitive hypocalcemia (p = 1) was foun...