Change of surgical treatment in benign thyroid diseases - influence of surgical management on perioperative complications

Since the beginning of 1994 standardized primary radical resection was perf ormed in benign thyroid diseases at the surgical department, Barmherzige Br ueder Hospital, Graz. In multinodular euthyroid goiter bilateral lobectomy or near total lobectomy respectively was done. In case of Graves' disease u nilateral lobectomy and contralateral near total resection or "en bloc" thy roidectomy was performed. In accordance with literature a significant reduc tion of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis from approximately 9% to 1.2% o ccurred in our patients if this surgical procedure was performed consequent ly. Hypocalcemia rate after surgery needing treatment was approximately 1% at the time of demission.