Long term course after thyroidectomy for euthyroid nodular goiter

: Every patient operated for nodular goiter by a partial surgery is exposed to recurrence. In order to verify this idea, the authors followed 36 patients operated on for nodulargoiterat least 10 years ago. A clinical examination for all the patients and echographic study for 24 of them allowed the detection of recurrence and the evaluation of survival and recurrence without any opotherapy. It seemed that clinical recurrence is observed in 16.65% of cases whereas echographic study revealed recurrence in 50% of patients examined. Only two patients were reoperated on. The predictive factors of the recurrence are geographic endemic origin and ethny, partial surgery and vesicular goiters. With 66.65% of survival without recurrence at 18 years without opotherapy, the authors argue about the utility of such treatment.