Partial Versus Total Thyroidectomy: What Influences Most Surgeons' Decision? Analysis of a Nationwide Cohort of 375,810 Patients Over 10 Years.

National and international guidelines about thyroid surgery seem to be moving more and more towards less radical surgical procedures but everyday practice does not seem to always align with them. We describe for the first time the role of non-surgical parameters in the surgeon's choice for thyroid surgery. OBJECTIVE The ain of this study was to describe thyroid surgery and to identify the factors leading to either a total or a partial thyroidectomy regardless of the severity of the thyroid disease. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA National and international guidelines about thyroid surgery seem to be moving more and more toward less radical surgical procedures but everyday practice does not seem to always align with them. METHODS We based this nationwide retrospective cohort study on a national database that compiles discharge abstracts for every admission for thyroidectomy to French acute healthcare facilities (PMSI database 2010 to 2019). RESULTS In this study, 375,810 patients (male: 23%; age = 53 ± 15 years) had a thyroidectomy (partial: 28%) for cancer (17%), hyperthyroidism (16%), nonfunctioning goiter (64%), or other (3%). We noticed a global trend toward more partial thyroidectomy (P 40/year [P 30 kg/m2; P < 0.001, OR = 1.42), and according to the indication of surgery (OR benign = 1, OR cancer = 2.25, OR hyperthyroidism = 4.13). CONCLUSION We describe for the first time the role of non-surgical parameters in the surgeon's choice for thyroid surgery.