Is the Reoperative Thyroid Surgery Riskier in Recurrent Goiter?

Abstract

Reoperative surgery of the thyroid gland is feared because of the higher risks of complications. The goal of our study was to evaluate the risks from reoperative procedures of the thyroid gland in patients with recurrent thyroid diseases. For a period from 2001 to 2015 we operated on 709 patients with different thyroid pathologies. In 81 patients, we had to perform reoperation for recurrence . Only 2 patients had postoperative unilateral palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and 3 patients had temporary hypoparathyroidism with Ca levels <1.90. We used the lateral approach to the thyroid remnant with very good exposure and cosmetic results in all reoperative procedures. In conclusion, the reoperation of the thyroid is a safe procedure with low risk of complications.