Feasibility of the Video-Assisted Thyroid Surgery Under Hypnosis Associated to local Anesthesia

Neck Surgery with Hypnosis: An Evaluation Based Upon Patient's Self Assessment

BACKGROUND

Surgery with hypnosis avoids the use of general anesthesia (GA). It also shortens hospitalization and promotes outpatient surgery. The objective of this study has been to assess the satisfaction of operated patients. No previous study has focused on patient satisfaction in a prospective design.

METHODS

In this prospective, non-randomized, observational study, all patients operated with hypnosis between 2009 and 2017 in the Ear, Nose, and Throat department of a tertiary care hospital were selected. All patients were asked to fill a questionnaire based on a previously validated questionnaire incremented with complementary questions. Questionnaires were completed immediately after surgery for 31 patients and after 6 months for 20 patients. Global Satisfaction Index (GSI) was self-assessed on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. Patients were asked; whether they felt comfortable during the operation, whether hypnosis helped them, whether the experience matched their expectations, whether they would revisit or recommend it to someone else and whether they considered to have been sufficiently informed before the procedure. The data was analyzed using a linear regression model with P < .05 considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

During the inclusion period, no patient required conversion to GA. A total of 48 questionnaires were evaluated. The median of the GSI was 8/10. GSI significantly correlated with patient comfort (P < 0.0001) and quality of preoperative information (P = .002). The percentage of patients who found hypnosis helpful correlated with the duration of surgery (P = .04). The probability for a patient to consider hypnosis as an experience matching their expectation increased with surgical team experience OR 0.55 (0.3-0.9).

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that patients' global satisfaction after hypnosis is high. This is significantly related to the quality of preoperative information and to the experience of the surgical team. It also suggests that patients are more likely to benefit from hypnosis if the surgery is longer.

Surgical options for primary hyperparathyroidism

Over the last two decades, surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism has evolved to offer a panel of procedures based on improvements in imaging, new technology and, consequently, novel surgical techniques. Multiple courses of action are possible, consistent with varying degrees of complexity. From the simplest scenario of a single adenoma localized by at least two preoperative tests in the context of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism, to revision surgery related to recurrent, persistent or multiglandular disease, the surgeon has the opportunity to adapt his strategy. However, whatever surgical approach is used, even in the absence of formal guidelines, the clinical judgment of an experienced and skilled practitioner in endocrine surgery is the real guide and key of success in complex situations.