Does Surgery Without Lugol’s Solution Pretreatment for Graves’ Disease Increase Surgical Morbidity?

Background Total thyroidectomy can be performed for Graves’ disease after a euthyroid state is achieved using inhibitors of thyroid hormone synthesis (thioamides). However, hypervascularization of the thyroid gland is associated with increased hemorrhage risk, in addition to complicating identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid gland. Saturated iodine solution (Lugol’s solution) has been recommended to reduce thyroid gland hypervascularization and intraoperative blood loss, although this approach is not used at our center based on our experience that it induces thyroid firmness and potentially hypoparathyroidism.