You searched for "thyroid cancer"
Post-thyroidectomy vocal cord palsy: are there long-term sequelae?
This is a well written paper utilising the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset for all thyroidectomies performed in England between 2004 and 2012. The study had a very impressive 43,515 participants and only included young, fit patients undergoing thyroidectomy once for...
Is a hemithyroidectomy as effective as a total thyroidectomy for compressive symptoms?
The claim made in the title of this paper, that hemithyroidectomy is equally as successful as total thyroidectomy in alleviating compressive symptoms from goitres, is certainly intriguing. And with the inclusion of 45,539 subjects, it would at first glance seem...
Botulinum toxin injection for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis
All traditional surgical treatments for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis are essentially a balance between maximising airway patency and ensuring adequate phonation / airway protection. This paper highlights the potential role of botulinum toxin (Botox) injection into the cricothyroid...Surgical challenges in advanced or recurrent thyroid malignancy
The management of thyroid malignancy and extent of surgery is controversial, especially considering the limitations of preoperative diagnosis. Neil Tolley provides guidance and reminds us of our responsibility not to over-treat. In the UK, 16% of thyroidectomies are performed for...
Inpatient or outpatient thyroidectomy?
This systematic review and meta-analysis discusses the safety of hemithyroidectomy in an outpatient vis-à-vis an inpatient setting. Thyroidectomy has traditionally been performed as an inpatient procedure. Currently, an increasing number of surgeons are performing thyroidectomy in outpatient settings. The main...
Voice change after total thyroidectomy with intact laryngeal nerves – a common but temporary problem
It has been reported that up to 87% of patients have a degree of voice dysfunction after thyroidectomy, even when the laryngeal nerves are preserved. Postoperative inflammation, laryngeal oedema due to vascular congestion, direct damage to the cricothyroid muscles and...
Changes in swallowing function after thyroidectomy
Evaluation of functional impact following thyroidectomy tends to be focused on voice quality. The aim of this study was to document early (seven days postoperatively) and late changes (60 days postop) in swallowing function after thyroidectomy. A preoperative naso-endoscopic evaluation...
A global view of thyroid surgery practices
The incidence of thyroid cancer continues to increase, and both surgery for benign and malignant disease carries an important and persistent incidence of perioperative complications. This paper reports the results of an electronic survey sent to members of seven surgical...
Incidental thyroid nodules: should we observe or operate?
Thyroid nodules are extraordinarily prevalent, detected by physical examination in 7% and by imaging studies in 67% of the population. Although most of these nodules are benign, up to 20% are found to be malignant on excision. It’s a very...
Papillary thyroid cervical metastases usually remain stable for years
Most patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) have excellent disease-specific survival (DSS). Even with lymph node metastatic recurrence, the 10-year survival is 85%, and 15-year survival 73%. There is a growing trend of minimising morbidity in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC)...
