The circumstances in which recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurs after surgery for benign thyroid disease: a retrospective study of 1026 patients

Successful emergency Lichtenberger lateralisation for immediate bilateral laryngeal immobility after total thyroidectomy: a CARE case report

OBJECTIVE

This case report discusses a successful emergency Lichtenberger lateralisation procedure after immediate bilateral laryngeal immobility, occurring after total thyroidectomy.

METHODS

A 63-year-old female with right-sided vocal fold paralysis due to compression by a multinodular thyroid goitre underwent total thyroidectomy, which resulted in immediate post-operative bilateral vocal fold immobility. The patient had acute-onset post-operative dyspnoea, was promptly re-intubated, and an emergency lateralisation Lichtenberger suture was placed over the right vocal fold and fixated on the outer surface of the neck.

RESULTS

After two weeks, her right vocal fold recovered first, with the suture still in place. At four weeks, both vocal folds regained function and the suture was extracted.

CONCLUSION

The take-away message is that an emergency lateralisation suture may be a viable option in maintaining airway patency, while allowing for normal deglutition, in patients who would otherwise be candidates for prolonged intubation, posterior cordotomy, medial arytenoidectomy or tracheostomy.

Visualization of the recurrent laryngeal nerve alone versus intraoperative nerve monitoring in primary thyroidectomy: a framework approach to a missing typology

INTRODUCTION

Surgical studies evaluating a device or technology in comparison to an established surgical technique should accurately report all the important components of the surgical technique in order to reduce the risk of intervention bias. In the debate of visualization of the recurrent laryngeal nerve alone (VONA) versus intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) during thyroidectomy, surgical technique plays a key role in both strategies. Our aim was to investigate whether the surgical technique was considered as a risk of intervention bias by relevant meta-analyses and reviews and if steps of surgical intervention were described in their included studies.

METHODS

We searched PUBMED, CENTRAL-Cochrane library, PROSPERO and GOOGLE for reviews and meta-analyses focusing on the comparison of IONM to VONA in primary open thyroidectomy. Τhen, primary studies were extracted from their reference lists. We developed a typology for surgical technique applied in primary studies and a framework approach for the evaluation of this typology by the meta-analyses and reviews.

RESULTS

Twelve meta-analyses, one review (388,252 nerves at risk), and 84 primary studies (128,720 patients) were included. Five meta-analyses considered the absence of typology regarding the surgical technique as a source of intervention bias; 48 primary studies (57.14%) provided information about at least one item of the typology components and only 1 for all of them.

DISCUSSION

Surgical technique of thyroidectomy in terms of a typology is underreported in studies and undervalued by meta-analyses comparing VONA to IONM. This missing typology should be reconsidered in the comparative evaluation of these two strategies.

High intensity focused ultrasound in the therapy of benign thyroid nodules-first German bicentric study with long-term follow-up

PURPOSE

The study evaluated high-intensity-focused ultrasound (HIFU) for benign thyroid nodules in terms of efficiency, complication rate, influence of preablative nodule size, parameters influencing the therapeutic success and hormonal-thyroid-function.

METHODS

Seventy-two patients with 75 nodules were treated with HIFU at 2 centers from 2014-2019. Median nodule volume was 4.4 ml (range 0.33-53). The therapeutic ultrasound probe (EchoPulse THC900888-H) generated 80-90 °C in the target tissue with 87.6-320.3 J per sonication. Nodal volume was measured at baseline and over 12 months after therapy in a retrospective bicentric-study with long-term follow-up. Hormonal-thyroid function (TSH, T3, T4) was measured before and after ablation. Complications were assessed.

RESULTS

Significant volume reduction (p < 0.05 Wilcoxon-signed-rank test) of thyroid nodules was 38.98% at 3 months, 37.32% at 6 months, 61.54% at 9 months and 60.66% at 12 months. Volume reduction of nodules <3 ml did not differ significantly from nodules >3 ml (p > 0.05 Mann-Whitney test). At 3 months solid nodules had a significant volume reduction of 52.08%, complex nodules of 32.57%, nodules treated under regional anesthesia of 33.07% and under general anesthesia of 49.47%. Hormonal-thyroid function was not influenced significantly by HIFU therapy (p > 0.05 Wilcoxon-signed-rank test). Complication rate was 3.8%. No long-term complications occurred.

CONCLUSION

Significant volume reduction of thyroid nodules up to 12 months after HIFU was shown. All complications were reversible. Therapy was more efficient in solid than complex nodules and in nodules treated under general anesthesia than with regional anesthesia. Hormonal-thyroid-function was not affected.

TRIAL REGISTRAFTION NUMBER

2020-1728-evBO. Date of registration: 16.06.2020. Agency: Ethik-Kommission bei der Landesäztekammer Hessen.