Outcomes of Preoperative Medical Therapy for Thyroidectomy in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Thyroidectomy provides definitive treatment for autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) often resulting in improved quality of life. Historically, patients with AITD undergoing thyroidectomy have increased rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. We investigated the outcomes of preoperative medications in patients with AITD undergoing thyroidectomy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent thyroidectomy for AITD at a single institution from 2015 to 2021. Surgical outcomes and perioperative laboratory values were analyzed by type of AITD and type of preoperative medical treatment: none, saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI), corticosteroids, or both SSKI and corticosteroids. RESULTS: A total of 123 patients underwent thyroidectomy for AITD and were included in analysis: 50 received no preoperative medications, 40 received SSKI, 20 received corticosteroids, and 13 received both. Seventy-six patients had Graves' disease and 47 had Hashimoto's thyroiditis. There were no significant differences in blood loss, operative time, wound complications, hematoma, or recurrent laryngeal nerve injury for patients treated with preoperative corticosteroids compared to those who were not. Patients who received corticosteroids and patients with Graves' disease more commonly had at least one instance of hypocalcemia postoperatively (P < 0.01, P = 0.01), although only on postoperative day 1 was mean calcium < 8.5 mg/dL. There was no difference in rate of transient or permanent hypoparathyroidism. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received corticosteroids preoperatively had no increased risk of complications. They did have mildly lower calcium levels in the early postoperative period, although no difference in hypoparathyroidism. Further exploration is warranted to investigate the impact of preoperative corticosteroids on operative difficulty, quality of life, and autoantibody clearance.

Experiential Learning of Interdisciplinary Care Skills in Surgery Assessed From Student Reflections.

INTRODUCTION: Interdisciplinary healthcare collaboration improves patient outcomes, increases workplace satisfaction, and reduces costs. Our medical school utilizes an experiential learning tool for teaching interprofessionalism known as the Longitudinal Patient Project (LPP). Medical students are directed to identify a surgical patient to establish continuity with by observing them throughout preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods, and follow-up with the patient after their procedure. Students then write reflections on their LPP experience. This study examines the LPP as an interprofessionalism teaching tool using qualitative analysis of student reflections. METHODS: NVivo 12 was used to code reflections. One researcher coded reflections for subject, depth, temporality, and confidence. Depth was assessed using Mezirow's Critical Reflection Theory, with students receiving titles of "content," "process," or "premise" reflectors based on the deepest level of reflection exhibited. Confidence was assessed by labeling reflective statements as "concrete" or "verbal." Data were coded by a second researcher for validation. Consensus was reached, the remainder of the dataset was updated to reflect codebook changes, and trends were assessed. RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement was 83%. All students achieved "content" level reflection. Ninety-seven percent of students reached "process" reflection. Ninety-three percent of students reached "premise" reflection. Students provided more concrete indicators of knowledge gained from the LPP than from prior experiences. Subjects included communication, team dynamics, patient impact, and student experience. Increased depth and breadth of reflection on communication and team dynamics were observed from the LPP. CONCLUSIONS: The LPP illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary care in surgery. Future iterations should emphasize the impact on patients and their families.

Enhancing Surgical Teaching Effectiveness: A Needs Assessment Study Using a Modified Delphi Process.

INTRODUCTION: As methods of measuring surgical resident competency become more defined, how can faculty know that they are effectively guiding residents toward increasing entrustment? The goal of this study was to use a systematic process to identify effective teaching behaviors, understand discrepancies between learner and teacher perception of behaviors, and provide an insight into areas for improvement in surgical teaching. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified Delphi process was used to create a list of critical teaching behaviors for surgical resident education in four domains: Operating Room, Clinic, Inpatient Rounds, and Didactics. Round One surveyed residents and faculty to identify critical teaching behaviors. In Rounds Two and Three, stakeholders narrowed the list to five behaviors in each domain. A needs assessment survey was created and used to identify (1) areas for improvement in residency education and (2) differences in perception of teaching behavior use between faculty and residents. RESULTS: Eighty one faculty and 56 residents in the Department of Surgery completed the survey. All teaching behaviors in the Operating Room, Clinic, and Rounds domains had a significant difference in response distribution between residents and faculty. Except in Didactics, residents perceived that teaching behaviors were performed less often by attending surgeons than was reported by the faculty members. CONCLUSIONS: A modified Delphi process is an effective way to create a needs assessment survey relating to how surgical education is delivered. Future steps will involve directed interventions aimed at improving the use of certain surgical teaching behaviors in our department.

Evaluating Discrimination of ACS-NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator in Thyroidectomy Patients.

BACKGROUND: The ACS-NSQIP surgical risk calculator (SRC) often guides preoperative counseling, but the rarity of complications in certain populations causes class imbalance, complicating risk prediction. We aimed to compare the performance of the ACS-NSQIP SRC to other classical machine learning algorithms trained on NSQIP data, and to demonstrate challenges and strategies in predicting such rare events. METHODS: Data from the NSQIP thyroidectomy module ys 2016 - 2018 were used to train logistic regression, Ridge regression and Random Forest classifiers for predicting 2 different composite outcomes of surgical risk (systemic and thyroidectomy-specific). We implemented techniques to address imbalanced class sizes and reported the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) for each classifier including the ACS-NSQIP SRC, along with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) at a 5% - 15% predicted risk threshold. RESULTS: Of 18,078 included patients, 405 (2.24%) patients suffered systemic complications and 1670 (9.24%) thyroidectomy-specific complications. Logistic regression performed best for predicting systemic complication risk (AUC 0.723 [0.658 - 0.778]); Random Forest with RUSBoost performed best for predicting thyroidectomy-specific complication risk (0.702; 0.674 - 0.726). The addition of optimizations for class imbalance improved performance for all classifiers. CONCLUSIONS: Complications are rare after thyroidectomy even when considered as composite outcomes, and class imbalance poses a challenge in surgical risk prediction. Using the SRC as a classifier where intervention occurs above a certain validated threshold, rather than citing the numeric estimates of complication risk, should be considered in low-risk patients.

The effect of transparency on the gender-based compensation gap in surgical disciplines within a large academic healthcare system.

BACKGROUND: Female representation in surgery and surgical subspecialties has increased over the last decade. Studies have shown a discrepancy in compensation in the field of surgery, and several groups have advocated for increasing transparency as a primary solution to decrease this gender salary gap in surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in compensation between genders in surgical specialties within a large academic healthcare system. METHODS: Using a public compensation database from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016, this retrospective observational study analyzed salaries of full-time faculty surgeons within a large multi-institutional academic healthcare system. Surgeons included those who were employed for the entirety of 2016 and were full-time faculty who were then stratified according to surgical specialty and rank. The median base and median total salaries were compared between male and female surgeons with adjustment for rank and surgical specialty. RESULTS: There were 170 surgeons from eight surgical subspecialties included in the study with 29% being female (n = 50). Overall, unadjusted and adjusted median total salaries were significantly lower for female compared to male surgeons by $121,578 and $45,904, respectively. The three subspecialties with the highest compensation had a median total salary of $558,998 and had a high male to female ratio (3.7 male to 1 female), whereas the three subspecialties with the lowest compensation had a median total salary of $376,174 and had a male to female ratio of 1.5 male to 1 female. CONCLUSIONS: In a large academic healthcare system with transparent and publicly accessible salaries, the gender compensation gap in surgery persists. In conjunction with transparency, future academic institutions should consider a value-based, objective compensation plan with personal and systemic introspection of traditional gender biases, in efforts to circumvent the impact of gender on salary.

Assessing American Thyroid Association Guidelines for Total Thyroidectomy in Graves' Disease.

BACKGROUND: The American Thyroid Association (ATA) issued specific preoperative preparatory guidelines for patients undergoing thyroidectomy for treatment of Graves' disease. Our goal is to determine if compliance with these guidelines is associated with better outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database identified 228 patients with Graves' disease who underwent total thyroidectomy between August 2007 and May 2015. Patients treated in compliance with ATA guidelines were compared with those not in full compliance with the current preparatory guidelines. RESULTS: At the time of surgery, 52% of all patients followed ATA guidelines. Patients who were prepped per ATA guidelines had fewer episodes of intraoperative tachycardia (0.3 versus 4.5, P = 0.04) but had no difference in peak systolic blood pressure or in number of episodes of systolic blood pressure > 180 mmHg. ATA prepped and nonprepped patients had similar mean operating room time and length of stay. ATA prepped and nonprepped patients had similar complication rates, including transient hypocalcemia (30.4% versus 25.5%, P = 0.45), prolonged hypoparathyroidism (0.98% versus 4.3%, P = 0.15), hoarse voice (10.8% versus 7.5%, P = 0.42), permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (2.9% versus 2.1%, P = 0.71), and hematoma (2.9% versus 0%, P = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that compliance with ATA guidelines for thyroidectomy preparation is not essential for a successful surgical outcome. Although preparation per the guidelines decreased the frequency of intraoperative tachycardia, it did not impact intraoperative hypertension, operating room time, or postoperative complications.

Surgical Trainees' Sense of Responsibility for Patient Outcomes: A Multi-institutional Appraisal.

BACKGROUND: Surgeon educators express concern about trainees' sense of patient ownership. We aimed to compare resident and faculty perceptions on residents' sense of personal responsibility for patient outcomes and to correlate patient ownership with resident and residency characteristics. METHODS: An anonymous electronic questionnaire surveyed 373 residents and 390 faculty at seven academic surgery residencies across the United States. We modified an established psychological ownership scale to measure patient ownership among surgical trainees. RESULTS: Respondents included 123 residents and 136 faculty (response rate 33% and 35%, respectively). Overall, 78.0% of faculty agreed that residents took personal responsibility for patient outcomes, but only 26.4% thought residents felt a similar or higher degree of patient ownership compared with themselves. Faculty underestimated the proportion of residents that routinely checked on their patients when off-duty (36.8 versus 92.6%, P < 0.001). Higher means on the patient ownership scale correlated with female sex (5.9 versus. 5.5 for males, P = 0.009), advanced post graduate year level (5.3, 5.5, 5.7, 5.8, 6.1, for post graduate year 1-5, respectively, P = 0.02), and the sense that patient outcomes affected the resident respondent's mood (5.8 versus 4.8 for those whose mood was not affected, P < 0.001). In addition, trainees who perceived better resident camaraderie (P = 0.004), faculty mentorship (P < 0.001), and that their program provided appropriate autonomy (P = 0.03) felt greater responsibility for patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Most faculty agree that residents assume personal responsibility for patient outcomes, but many still underestimate residents' sense of patient ownership. Certain modifiable aspects of residency culture including camaraderie, mentorship, and autonomy are associated with patient ownership among trainees.

Thyroid Trauma-A National Analysis of Incidence, Mortality, and Concomitant Injury.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury to the thyroid is rare with no large national studies in the literature. We sought to describe the incidence of traumatic thyroid injury and to compare injury characteristics, operative interventions, and outcomes of isolated thyroid versus thyroid and concomitant neck injury. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank (2007-2015) was used to identify patients with thyroid injury. Concomitant injury to surrounding neck structures included the trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, cervical spine vertebrae, or vertebral arteries. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The incidence of thyroid injury was <0.1%. Of these, 59.7% of patients had isolated thyroid injury and 40.3% had thyroid and concomitant neck injury. Most patients in both groups had a penetrating mechanism (75.8% and 85.6%). Thyroid operative intervention was rare in both groups (isolated thyroid injury 19.3%, thyroid and concomitant neck injury 22.1%). Direct thyroid repair was the most common type of surgical intervention performed (isolated thyroid 13.1% versus thyroid and concomitant neck injury 15.1%; P = 0.280), whereas total thyroidectomy was only performed in a single patient. Mortality was decreased for patients with isolated thyroid injury compared with thyroid and concomitant neck injury (8.9% versus 19%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid injury in trauma patients is extremely rare and occurs more frequently with penetrating trauma. Isolated thyroid trauma is associated with a lower risk of mortality, compared to thyroid trauma with concomitant neck injury. Most thyroid injury is treated nonoperatively, and when operative intervention is required, direct thyroid repair is most commonly performed.

Encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer: are these tumors really benign?

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that the encapsulated form of follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (eFVPTC) behaves more similarly to benign lesions and can be treated with thyroid lobectomy alone instead of total thyroidectomy. To distinguish aggressive cancers from more benign lesions more clearly, the objective of this study was to determine if the eFVPTC behaves less aggressively than the nonencapsulated variant (neFVPTC). METHODS: A prospectively collected endocrine surgery database in our institution was reviewed for all patients with FVPTC on surgical pathology from 1999 to 2012. Samples were rereviewed to determine if the tumor was eFVPTC or neFVPTC, which were correlated with patient outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients, 59 (87%) had eFVPTC and 9 (13%) had neFVPTC. The mean age was 48 y and 63% were female. Fifty-four of 64 patients (84%) who had a total thyroidectomy received radioactive iodine. The eFVPTC group had lower rates of cervical LN involvement (5% versus 22%, P = 0.2504). The median follow-up time was 3 y (0-13 y) and only two patients had recurrence, one with eFVPTC and one with neFVPTC. None of the patients had distant metastasis or died of their disease. CONCLUSIONS: eFVPTCs appear to have a lower rate of cervical lymph node metastases compared with neFVPTCs, but recurrent disease may be seen in both subtypes. These findings suggest eFVPTC can be managed more conservatively.

GAUGING THE EXTENT OF THYROIDECTOMY FOR INDETERMINATE THYROID NODULES: AN ONCOLOGIC PERSPECTIVE.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing emphasis is being placed on appropriateness of care and avoidance of over- and under-treatment. Indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs) present a particular risk for this problem because cancer found via diagnostic lobectomy (DL) often requires a completion thyroidectomy (CT). However, initial total thyroidectomy (TT) for benign ITN results in lifelong thyroid hormone replacement. We sought to measure the accuracy and factors associated with the extent of initial thyroidectomy for ITN. METHODS: We queried a single institution thyroid surgery database for all adult patients undergoing an initial operation for ITN. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with either oncologic under- or overtreatment at initial operation. RESULTS: There were 639 patients with ITN. The median age was 52 (range, 18 to 93) years, 78.4% were female, and final pathology revealed a cancer >1 cm in 24.7%. The most common cytology was follicular neoplasm (45.1%) followed by Hürthle cell neoplasm (20.2%). CT or initial oncologic undertreatment was required in 58 patients (9.3%). Excluding those with goiters, 19.0% were treated with TT for benign final pathology. Multivariate analysis failed to identify any factor that independently predicted the need for CT. Female gender was associated with TT in benign disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 4.5; P = .05). Age >45 years predicted correct initial use of DL (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.7; P = .02). Suspicious for papillary thyroid carcinoma (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 2.1 to 15.3; P<.01) and frozen section (OR, 9.7; 95% CI, 2.5 to 38.6; P<.01) were associated with oncologically appropriate initial TT. The highest frequency of CT occurred in patients with follicular lesion of undetermined significance (11.6%). TT for benign final pathology occurred most frequently in patients with a Hürthle cell neoplasm (24.8%). CONCLUSION: In patients with ITN, nearly 30% received an inappropriate extent of initial thyroidectomy from an oncologic standpoint. Tools to pre-operatively identify both benign and malignant disease can assist in the complex decision making to gauge the proper extent of initial surgery for ITN. ABBREVIATIONS: ATA = American Thyroid Association AUS = atypia of undetermined significance CI = confidence interval CT = completion thyroidectomy FLUS = follicular lesion of undetermined significance ITN = indeterminate thyroid nodule OR = odds ratio PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma TT = total thyroidectomy.

Primary hyperparathyroidism.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder caused by overactivation of parathyroid glands resulting in excessive release of parathyroid hormone. The resultant hypercalcemia leads to a myriad of symptoms. Primary hyperparathyroidism may increase a patient's morbidity and even mortality if left untreated. During the last few decades, disease presentation has shifted from the classic presentation of severe bone and kidney manifestations to most patients now being diagnosed on routine labs. Although surgery is the only curative therapy, many advances have been made over the past decades in the diagnosis and the surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism. The aim of this review is to summarize the characteristics of the disease, the work up, and the treatment options.

Lymph node metastases do not impact survival in follicular variant papillary thyroid cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (FVPTC) is the most common and fastest growing subtype of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with features of both PTC and follicular thyroid cancer (FTC). The purpose of this study was to determine the patient and tumor features associated with lymph node metastases (LNM) in FVPTC. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of adult (≥18) patients with histologically confirmed diagnoses of FVPTC within the SEER database between 1988 and 2009. LNM were defined by at least two lymph nodes with metastatic disease. To determine factors associated with LNM, we constructed a multivariate logistic regression model from significant variables (p < 0.05) identified on univariate analysis. Similarly, we used a Cox proportional hazards model to understand the relative importance of LNM in determining disease-specific mortality (DSM). RESULTS: Of the 20,357 cases of FVPTC with lymph node data available, 1,761 (8.7%) had LNM; 61.1% of these LNM were located in the central neck and 38.9% were in the lateral neck. Extrathyroidal extension (odds ratio [OR] 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-3.0, p < 0.01) and multifocality (OR 3.0, 95% CI 2.5-3.6, p < 0.01) were the strongest predictors of LNM. Importantly, LNM did not independently predict DSM (p = 0.52). Tumor size >4 cm (hazards ratio [HR] 5.3, 95% CI 2.2-12.8, p < 0.01) and extrathyroidal extension (HR 8.2, 95% CI 3.0-22.0, p < 0.01) were the strongest predictors of DSM. CONCLUSIONS: LNM occur in less than 10% of patients with FVPTC but do not impact DSM. Instead, DSM in FVPTC is related to size and local invasion.

Clinical and socioeconomic factors influence treatment decisions in Graves' disease.

BACKGROUND: Definitive treatment of Graves' disease includes radioactive iodine (RAI) and thyroidectomy, but utilization varies. We hypothesize that, in addition to clinical reasons, there are socioeconomic factors that influence whether a patient undergoes thyroidectomy or RAI. METHODS: Patients treated for Graves' disease between August 2007 and September 2013 at our university hospital were included. A comparative analysis of clinical and socioeconomic factors was completed. RESULTS: Of 427 patients, 300 (70 %) underwent RAI, whereas 127 (30 %) underwent surgery. Multiple factors were associated with surgery: younger age (mean 36 vs. 41 years, p < 0.01), female gender (33 vs. 19 % males, p = 0.01), black race (56 vs. 28 % nonblack, p < 0.01), Medicaid or uninsured (43 vs. 27 % private insurance or Medicare, p < 0.01), ophthalmopathy (38 vs. 26 %, p < 0.01), goiter (35 vs. 23 %, p < 0.01), and lowest quartile of median household income (38 vs. 27 % upper three quartiles, p = 0.03). Thyroidectomy increased annually, with 52 % undergoing surgery during the final year (p < 0.01). Adjusting for confounding, younger age (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 1.05), female gender (OR 2.06; 95 % CI 1.06, 4.01), ophthalmopathy (OR 2.35; 95 % CI 1.40, 3.96), and later year of treatment (OR 1.66; 95 % CI 1.41, 1.95) remained significantly associated with surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery has now become the primary treatment modality of choice for Graves' disease at our institution. Clinical factors are the main drivers behind treatment choice, but patients with lower SES are more likely to have clinical features best treated with surgery, underlying the importance of improving access to quality surgical care for all patients.

CaPTHUS scoring model in primary hyperparathyroidism: can it eliminate the need for ioPTH testing?

BACKGROUND: The CaPTHUS model was reported to have a positive predictive value of 100 % to correctly predict single-gland disease in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, thus obviating the need for intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) testing. We sought to apply the CaPTHUS scoring model in our patient population and assess its utility in predicting long-term biochemical cure. METHODS: We retrospective reviewed all parathyroidectomies for primary hyperparathyroidism performed at our university hospital from 2003 to 2012. We routinely perform ioPTH testing. Biochemical cure was defined as a normal calcium level at 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 1,421 patients met the inclusion criteria: 78 % of patients had a single adenoma at the time of surgery, 98 % had a normal serum calcium at 1 week postoperatively, and 96 % had a normal serum calcium level 6 months postoperatively. Using the CaPTHUS scoring model, 307 patients (22.5 %) had a score of ≥ 3, with a positive predictive value of 91 % for single adenoma. A CaPTHUS score of ≥ 3 had a positive predictive value of 98 % for biochemical cure at 1 week as well as at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: In our population, where ioPTH testing is used routinely to guide use of bilateral exploration, patients with a preoperative CaPTHUS score of ≥ 3 had good long-term biochemical cure rates. However, the model only predicted adenoma in 91 % of cases. If minimally invasive parathyroidectomy without ioPTH testing had been done for these patients, the cure rate would have dropped from 98 % to an unacceptable 89 %. Even in these patients with high CaPTHUS scores, multigland disease is present in almost 10 %, and ioPTH testing is necessary.

Hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy: incidence and resolution.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels are often measured after thyroid surgery and are used to detect patients at risk for postoperative hypoparathyroidism. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature about how to define the recovery of parathyroid gland function and when to classify hypoparathyroidism as permanent. The goals of this study were to determine the incidence of low postoperative PTH in total thyroidectomy patients and to monitor their time course to recovery of parathyroid gland function. METHODS: We identified 1054 consecutive patients who underwent a total or completion thyroidectomy from January, 2006-December, 2013. Low PTH was defined as a PTH measurement <10 pg/mL immediately after surgery. Patients were considered to be permanently hypoparathyroid if they had not recovered within 1 y. Recovery of parathyroid gland function was defined as PTH ≥10 pg/mL and no need for therapeutic calcium or activated vitamin D (calcitriol) supplementation to prevent hypocalcemic symptoms. RESULTS: Of 1054 total thyroidectomy patients, 189 (18%) had a postoperative PTH <10 pg/mL. Of those 189 patients, 132 (70%) showed resolution within 2 mo of surgery. Notably, 9 (5%) resolved between 6 and 12 mo. At 1 y, 20 (1.9%) were considered to have permanent hypoparathyroidism. Surprisingly, 50% of those patients had recovery of PTH levels yet still required supplementation to avoid symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with a low postoperative PTH recover function quickly, but it can take up to 1 y for full resolution. Hypoparathyroidism needs to be defined not only by PTH levels but also by medication requirements.

Substernal goiter: when is a sternotomy required?

BACKGROUND: Sternotomy for substernal goiters (SSG) is associated with greater morbidity than a cervical approach to thyroidectomy. We sought to identify predictors for sternotomy as a surgical approach for the removal of SSG and analyzed the preoperative and postoperative characteristics of patients with SSG compared with those with large goiters contained entirely within the neck or a cervical goiter. METHODS: A retrospective review of a surgical database was performed. We included patients with large (>100 g) thyroids or SSG, regardless of size. Between 1995 and 2013, 220 patients met these criteria. Comparisons were made between patients who had an SSG and patients who had a cervical goiter with particular focus on those who required sternotomy. RESULTS: Of the 220 patients, 127 patients (58%) had SSG, of whom 7 (5.5%) required sternotomy. All patients who underwent sternotomy underwent preoperative computed tomography scanning and were more likely to have preoperative symptoms of chest pressure and voice complaints and have extension of the thyroid gland below the aortic arch. Sternotomy took an average of 2 hours longer than a cervical incision, was associated with significantly more blood loss (600 versus 190 mL, P = 0.04), and a longer length of stay (3.1 versus 1.8 d, P = 0.03) than cervical thyroidectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Sternotomy for SSG is rare. All patients necessitating sternotomy had extension below the aortic arch and were more likely to present complaining of chest pressure and voice issues.

Does levothyroxine administration impact parathyroid localization?

BACKGROUND: Proper localization is crucial in performing minimally invasive parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Ultrasonography (US) and Tc-99m sestamibi (MIBI) scintigraphy are common methods used for localization. As the appearance and activity of the thyroid gland may impact parathyroid localization, the purpose of this study was to determine how exogenous use of the thyroid hormone, levothyroxine (LT), affects parathyroid localization. METHODS: Adult patients with non-familial primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent initial parathyroidectomy from 2000-2014 were retrospectively identified. LT (+LT) and non-LT (-LT) patients were matched 1:3 based on age, gender, goiter status, and preoperative parathyroid hormone levels. Subgroup analysis was performed on patients previously treated with radioactive iodine and patients undergoing single adenoma resection. RESULTS: Of the 1737 patients that met inclusion criteria, 286 were on LT at the time of their parathyroid localization scan. Use of LT did not impact the percentage of correct MIBI localization scans when compared with -LT patients (P = 0.83). Interestingly, use of LT significantly hindered localization by US in comparison with the -LT group (48.4 versus 62.2%, P < 0.01). When examining only patients where a single upper gland was removed, the +LT group was less likely to have a correct US compared with the -LT group (50 versus 72.8%, P < 0.01). However, there was no difference in US accuracy for patients who only had a single lower gland removed (P = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous LT is associated with impaired parathyroid localization with US but not MIBI. Surgeons should be aware of localization efficiency for this subset of patients in the era of personalized medicine and cost effectiveness.

Surgical site infection after thyroidectomy: a rare but significant complication.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) after thyroidectomy are rare but can have significant consequences. Thyroidectomy is a clean case, and the patterns for use of prophylactic antibiotics vary. We hypothesized that patient and operative characteristics may predict a higher risk of SSI, and that SSI are associated with other complications leading to increased resource utilization. METHODS: Data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program dataset for patients who underwent thyroidectomy through cervical incisions from 2005-2011 were included. Bivariate analysis using t-tests and chi-square tests were performed, and variables with P<0.2 were considered for inclusion in a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 49,326 patients underwent thyroidectomy from 2005-2011 and 179 (0.36%) had an SSI. On multivariate analysis, the strongest predictors of SSI were operative time (P<0.001) and wound classification clean-contaminated (odds ratio 6.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.6, 10.3). Preoperative factors associated with SSI on multivariate analysis had lower magnitudes of influence on SSI risk but included obesity, alcohol use, and nonindependent functional status. Patients with SSI were more likely to have a wound dehiscence, renal insufficiency, bleeding requiring transfusion, and return to the operating room on a multivariate model of outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, SSI after thyroidectomy are associated with other postoperative complications. We have identified preoperative and intraoperative factors that are associated with SSI, and this may help identify high-risk patients who may benefit from selective use of antibiotics.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Low-Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review Examining the Extent of Thyroidectomy.

Background: Total thyroidectomy (TT) and hemithyroidectomy (HT) are acceptable surgical options for the treatment of low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). While previous data suggest similar disease-free and disease-specific survival regardless of initial surgical treatment, the effect of the extent of surgery on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is less clear. This systematic review aimed to examine HRQOL in low-risk DTC survivors after TT compared with HT. Methods: A search of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases was conducted to identify studies published between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2022, that assessed HRQOL predominantly in patients with low-risk DTC who underwent open thyroid surgery. Covidence™ software was used to apply the inclusion criteria, and a validated instrument was used to assess study quality. Results: Sixteen of the 1402 identified studies were included: 5 prospective and 11 retrospective cohort studies. The majority of included studies were of good quality (n = 14) and were from Asia and the Middle East (n = 11). Overall, six studies concluded that HT led to a better HRQOL than TT, two concluded that HT only resulted in better HRQOL compared with TT with central neck dissection (CND), and two concluded HT resulted in better short-term HRQOL that dissipated by 6 months postoperatively. The HRQOL domains found across all studies to be most consistently improved after HT included physical health, psychological/emotional, and social function. Factors found to be associated with HRQOL in more than one study included age, stage, and marital status. Conclusion: Differences in HRQOL after HT and TT tended to favor HT particularly when measured <6 months after surgery or when compared with TT with CND. Additional prospective and ideally randomized data are needed to fully determine the impact of the extent of surgery on HRQOL in patients with low-risk thyroid cancer.

Don't chase the adenoma: A probabilistic approach to imaging before parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative imaging before parathyroidectomy can localize adenomas and reduce unnecessary bilateral neck explorations. We hypothesized that (1) the utility of preoperative imaging varies substantially depending on the preoperative probability of having adenoma(s) and (2) that a selective imaging approach based on this probability could avoid unnecessary patient costs and radiation. METHODS: We analyzed 3,577 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism from 2001 to 2022. The predicted probability of patients having single or double adenoma versus hyperplasia was estimated using logistic regression. We then estimated the relationship between the predicted probability of single/double adenoma and the likelihood that sestamibi or 4-dimensional computed tomography was helpful for operative planning. Current Medicare costs and published data on radiation dosing were used to calculate costs and radiation exposure from non-helpful imaging. RESULTS: The mean age was 62 ± 13 years; 78% were women. Adenomas were associated with higher mean calcium (11.2 ± 0.74 mg/dL) and parathyroid hormone levels (140.6 ± 94 pg/mL) than hyperplasia (9.8 ± 0.52 mg/dL and 81.4 ± 66 pg/mL). The probability that imaging helped with operative planning increased from 12% to 65%, as the predicted probability of adenoma increased from 30% to 90%. For every 10,000 patients, a selective approach to imaging that considered the preoperative probability of having adenomas could save patients up to $3.4 million and >239,000 millisieverts of radiation. CONCLUSION: Rather than imaging all patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, a selective strategy that considers the probability of having adenomas could reduce costs and avoid excess radiation exposure.