Combined cardiac surgery and total thyroidectomy: a case report

Combined Open-Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and Subtotal Thyroidectomy in a 54-year-old patient: A Case Report

Background

Combined open-heart surgery and thyroidectomy is a rare procedure. However, some difficulties will occur for cardiac surgery when thyromegaly extends into the retrosternal space.

Case Details

A 54-year-old woman suffering from dyspnea, chest pain and decreased left ventricular function (EF=40%) was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (3 vessel disease) and became candidate for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Also, she had multinodular goiter with normal thyroid function test. After midsternotomy, a huge goiter was seen in the upper mediastinum. Because the mass had covered the ascending aorta and involved the posterior aspect of the innominate vein making access to aorta impossible, thyroidectomy was performed at first followed by CABG. Post-operation course was satisfactory. Fourteen months later, the patient was euthyroid and in NYHA class 1.

Conclusion

The evidence of the case showed that combined CABG and thyroidectomy can be performed safely.

Does a combined procedure for cardiac surgery and thyroidectomy offer acceptable outcomes?

This best evidence topic on cardiothoracic surgery was written using a structured protocol. The question addressed was: 'in an adult patient requiring cardiac surgery, can a thyroidectomy for a large retrosternal goitre be performed with good outcomes as a combined procedure?' Of 150 papers identified through the literature search, 16 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, study type, patient group studied, relevant outcomes and results were tabulated. This paper includes 3 Level 4 papers and 13 case reports. All papers reported postoperative outcomes and five papers reported intraoperative outcomes. Of a total cohort of 32 patients, 25 were euthyroid prior to combined surgery. Twenty-nine of 32 thyroid surgeries were performed immediately prior to cardiac surgery in the combined procedure sequence. Post-procedural complications including transient recurrent laryngeal palsy and tracheomalacia were reported in 8 patients. There was one intraoperative death. Where reported, all patients were euthyroid on follow-up. All identified papers reported good outcomes with combined thyroidectomy and cardiac surgery.

Combined thyroidectomy and cardiac surgery

A combination of cardiac surgery and thyroidectomy as a single stage operation has rarely been reported in the literature. We report on the management of a 64-year-old female undergoing a combined aortic valve replacement and excision of a primary (ectopic) intrathoracic goiter. The literature on combined cardiac surgery and thyroidectomy is also reviewed.

Single-stage operation for giant substernal goiter with severe coronary artery disease

A 76-year-old female, with a history of asthma and tracheal bronchitis, presented with a non-ST elevation, myocardial infarction. Chest x-ray on admission showed a widened mediastinum, which was further evaluated with a computed tomography (CT) scan. It disclosed a giant substernal goiter compressing the trachea and the ascending aorta. Cardiac catheterization showed significant coronary disease unsuitable for percutaneous intervention; thus, the patient was scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting. Single stage thyroidectomy immediately followed by coronary artery bypass was performed. After surgery, her upper airway symptoms were improved, and no cardiac events were noted. Collaboration between otolaryngology and thoracic surgery teams contributed to good outcomes for this patient with substernal goiter and severe cardiac disease.

Incidental detection of internal jugular vein thrombosis secondary to undiagnosed benign substernal goiter

Internal jugular vein thrombosis is a serious event with potentially fatal outcome, where the clinical symptoms may be vague or absent. This paper refers to a rare case where routine carotid Doppler ultrasound prior to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and aortic valve replacement (AVR) in a 76-year-old man, incidentally revealed thrombosis of the right internal jugular vein. Thoracic CT demonstrated an underlying, large, benign substernal multinodular goiter, mainly involving the right lobe, causing compression and displacement of the great vessels. A successful, one-stage operation including ligation of the internal jugular vein to avoid pulmonary embolism and hemithyroidectomy, combined with the scheduled CABG and AVR, was performed. This case illustrates that benign substernal goiter may be associated with asymptomatic internal jugular vein thrombosis. Carotid Doppler ultrasound should involve evaluation of the internal jugular vein concerning thrombosis as its presence may reveal space-occupying lesions in the thorax.

Combined off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and thyroidectomy

A 70-year-old Indian woman presented with an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction and a large multinodular goiter causing tracheal compression and dyspnea. Coronary artery angiography revealed severe triple-vessel disease, with an 80% occlusion of the left main stem, necessitating early coronary artery bypass grafting combined with total thyroidectomy. The procedure was performed successfully. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient remains euthyroid and in New York Heart Association functional class I. This case provides further evidence that combined coronary artery bypass grafting and total thyroidectomy is both feasible and safe.

Combined Cardiac Surgery and Excision of a Retrosternal Thyroid Mass: A Case Report

Retrosternal thyroid mass with posterior mediastinal extension is an extremely rare phenomenon. We describe a combined thyroidectomy, aortic valve replacement, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery on a patient with an asymptomatic retrosternal thyroid mass.

Combined cardiothoracic surgery and interventions of the para/thyroid gland. A rare clinical cooperation

OBJECTIVE

Simultaneous cardiothoracic and general surgical interventions are still a matter of controversy. We investigated the question whether combined open heart surgery or thoracic surgery and interventions of the parathyreoid respectively thyroid gland may be helpful for the patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The records of six patients (age range: 29-78 years) undergoing simultaneous cardiothoracic and para-/thyroid interventions were examined. Cardiothoracic surgery consisted in three patients of coronary artery bypass grafting, in one of aortic valve replacement, in one of thymus resection and finally in one of resection of a mediastinal Hodgkin's lymphoma. In combination with these procedures three patients underwent a subtotal goiter resection, two patients had a resection of a parathyroid adenoma and one patient underwent a right-sided hemithyroidectomy.

RESULTS

One patient died in the early postoperative course due to global myocardial failure on the base of preoperatively existing reduced left ventricular function. The other postoperative courses were uneventful. The duration of operation was between 165 and 687 min, perfusion time in case of open heart surgery was between 92 and 311 min, ischemic time ranged from 45 to 62 min. The length of hospital-stay ranged from 9 to 26 days. The postoperative follow-up showed all five patients to be in a satisfactory cardiovascular condition. There were no signs of recurrence of either para-/thyroid or Hodgkin's disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The postoperative course does not indicate an increased number of complications, although the total duration of operation and anesthesia is prolonged. Thus we conclude that simultaneous cardiothoracic and endocrine surgery of the para-/thyroid gland can be performed with acceptable risk in cases of preoperative low-risk assessment.