Completion thyroidectomy: fact or fiction?

Risk Assessment in Thyroid Lobectomy and Total Thyroidectomy using Over 100 Thousand Cases

OBJECTIVES

To assess risk factors and non-thyroid specific postoperative complications for thyroid lobectomy compared to total thyroidectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective, cross-sectional study of adults undergoing a lobectomy or total thyroidectomy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database between 2005 and 2017. Patients not treated by otolaryngologists or general surgeons and with unknown demographic variables were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 106 915 patients were analyzed, 64 763 total thyroidectomies and 42 152 lobectomies. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that total thyroidectomy patients were half as likely to return to the operating room (OR = 0.491 (95%CI 0.445-0.542), P < .001). Within this cohort, patients at greater risk for reoperation had a history of hypertension (OR = 1.225 (95%CI 1.090-1.376), P < .001), a malignant pathology (OR = 1.921 (95%CI 1.734-2.128), P < .001), and smoked (OR = 1.237 (95%CI 1.087-1.407), P = .001). Conversely, diabetes and body mass index did not impact the rate of reoperation when assessing total thyroidectomy and lobectomy. The most frequent non-thyroid specific complications in total thyroidectomy were unplanned intubation (0.5%), urinary tract infection (0.3%), and superficial surgical site infection (0.3%). In thyroid lobectomy, the most common complications were superficial surgical site infection (0.3%) and urinary tract infection (0.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our multi-institutional study indicates specific risk factors for returning to the operating room that may warrant closer follow up after surgery for total thyroidectomy or thyroid lobectomy. We also identified the most common post-operative complications. During pre-operative planning, these findings should be considered by thyroid surgeons to help mitigate risk to patients.

The Need for Completion Thyroidectomy in Cases of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

There are no definitive criteria for the presence of malignancy in the opposite lobe in cases of unilateral lobectomy due to a thyroid mass in which the malignancy was diagnosed histologically. Study design is retrospective, cross sectional study. The present study included patients who underwent a lobectomy in our clinic between 2001 and 2016 with an initial diagnosis of atypia with undetermined significance or suspected malignancy according to fine-needle aspiration biopsy and adult patients who received a thyroidectomy based on thyroid cancer detected in pathological examinations. Tumor histopathological diagnosis, tumor size, and capsular, vascular, or lymphatic invasion were assessed in patients who received thyroid lobectomy. The presence of a multifocal tumor (52.3%) significantly increased the risk of malignancy in the opposite lobe over the risk association with a unifocal tumor (8.9%; p < 0001). In patients with a tumor diameter greater than 4 cm (83.3%), the risk of malignancy in the opposite lobe was higher than that in patients with a tumor diameter less than 4 cm (22.3%; p < 0.001). Significant differences were not observed between groups with and without vascular or capsular invasion of the opposite lobe (p = 0.913 and p = 0.840, respectively). We determined risk factors for the presence of multifocal disease in unilateral lobectomy materials; an aggressive tumor subtype and a size larger than 4 cm are the most important factors that increase the risk of malignancy in the opposite lobe. Level of evidence Level 4-Case-control studies.

Lobectomy and prophylactic central neck dissection for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: do involved lymph nodes mandate completion thyroidectomy?

BACKGROUND

The present study was designed to investigate the necessity of completion thyroidectomy for patients who underwent thyroid lobectomy for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) that was later pathologically diagnosed as central lymph node (CLN) metastasis.

METHODS

Between 1986 and 2001, we assessed 551 patients who underwent thyroidectomy with prophylactic ipsilateral central compartment neck dissection, and 409 patients were followed-up completely. Thyroid lobectomy were performed in 281 and 128 patients, respectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to CLN metastasis. Clinicopathological profiles and follow-up details were investigated by retrospective chart review.

RESULTS

The CLN-positive and -negative groups were comprised of 43 (15.2 %) and 238 patients (84.8 %), respectively. The mean ages of the two groups were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The mean tumor size of the CLN-positive group (6.8 mm) was significantly larger than that of the CLN-negative group (5.6 mm; p < 0.05). Microscopic capsular invasion was significantly higher in the CLN-positive group (51.2 vs. 23.9 %; p < 0.05). Overall, 21 patients (7.4 %, 21/281) experienced recurrence. Among these, 2 (4.7 %, 2/43) and 19 (8.0 %, 19/238) were in the CLN-positive and -negative groups, respectively. There was no significant correlation between CLN metastasis and tumor recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative recurrence was lower in the CLN-positive group, and there was no significant correlation between CLN metastasis and tumor recurrence. Our results suggest that it is not necessary to perform completion thyroidectomy for PTMC patients who have undergone thyroid lobectomy and who have been pathologically diagnosed with CLN metastasis.

Medical and surgical risks in thyroid surgery: lessons from the NSQIP

BACKGROUND

To assess whether perioperative surgical outcomes associated with thyroid operations were different in those with benign or malignant conditions, we queried the NSQIP, a multi-institutional, risk-adjusted, prospective U.S. database.

METHODS

A total of 10,838 patients who underwent initial thyroid surgery as their principal operation during 2005-2007 were analyzed. Analysis focused on demographics, preoperative risk factors, operative details, postoperative complications, return to the operating room, and length of surgical stay.

RESULTS

Thirty-three percent of patients had a postoperative diagnosis of malignancy. Mean operating time was 121.8 min (119.3 min benign, 123.0 min malignant, P = .004) and average length of stay 1.16 days (1.12 days benign, vs. 1.21 days malignant, P = .007). Overall morbidity (return to the operating room plus medical complications) was 3.8% for the entire cohort, significantly higher in patients with malignant disease (4.9 vs. 3.3%, respectively, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, congestive heart failure (odds ratio [OR] 6.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.81-25.80), dyspnea, and return to the operating room (OR 5.41, 95% CI 3.1-9.45) were significant risk factors for complications, while malignant disease (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.75-2.9), outpatient status (OR 3.16, 95% CI 2.4-4.17), and other complications (OR 6.46, 95% CI 3.61-11.54) were risk factors for returning to the operating room.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing thyroid surgery for malignancy have a longer length of stay (1.21 days), longer operation times, and return to the operating room at higher rates compared to those with benign disease. Malignancy itself is only an independent risk factor for return to the operating room and not other complications; surgeons may consider keeping those patients overnight for observation.