Results of the surgical treatment of thyrotoxicosis

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of the surgical treatment of patients with thyrotoxicosis in three surgical clinics in Plovdiv. PATIENTS AND MEDHOTS: We studied 90 patients, who underwent surgical treatment for thyrotoxicosis between 2000-2004. Of those 19 men (21%) and 71 women (79%); men:women = 1:3.74; mean age 38 +/- 8.3 years. The nosological distribution was as follows: Graves' disease--72 subjects (80.00%), solitary toxic adenoma--4 subjects (4.40%), toxic nodular goiter--14 subjects (15.60%). 77 subtotal thyroidectomies (85%) and 9 total thyroidectomies were performed. Patients with solitary toxic adenoma underwent lobectomy. Massive bleeding witch required revision and haemostasis was encountered in 1 patient. Transient laryngeal nerve injury occurred in 3 patients (3.33%), and temporary hypoparathyroidism in 6 subjects (6.67%), necessitating calcium supplementation. One year postoperatively, 49.35% (n = 38) of the patients who have undergone subtotal thyroidectomy were euthyroid, 45.45% (n = 35) developed hypothyroidism, and 5.2% (n = 4) relapsed. Our results indicate that surgery is safe and effective for patients with thyrotoxicosis referred for radical treatment. Because of the high rate of postoperative thyroid disfunction, assessment of the non-operative factors, witch influence the functional results, is recommended.