Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers (NLR, LMR, PLR) in the Prognostication of Malignancy in Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules.

Indeterminate follicular thyroid lesions (Thyr 3A and 3B) account for 10% to 30% of all cytopathologic diagnoses, and their unpredictable behavior represents a hard clinical challenge. The possibility to preoperatively predict malignancy is largely advocated to establish a tailored surgery, preventing diagnostic thyroidectomy. We analyzed the role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) as prognostic factors of malignancy for indeterminate thyroid nodules. In patients affected by cytological Thyr 3A/3B nodules, NLR, PLR and LMR were retrospectively compared and correlated with definitive pathology malignancy, utilizing student's t-test, ROC analysis and logistic regression. One-hundred and thirty-eight patients presented a Thyr 3A and 215 patients presented a Thyr 3B. After the logistic regression, in Thyr 3A, none of the variables were able to predict malignancy. In Thyr 3B, NLR prognosticated thyroid cancer with an AUC value of 0.685 (p < 0.0001) and a cut-off of 2.202. The NLR results were also similar when considering the overall cohort. The use of cytological risk stratification in addressing the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules in patients is not always reliable. NLR is an easy and reproducible inflammatory biomarker capable of improving the accuracy of preoperative prognostication of malignancy.

ADAM17, a New Player in the Pathogenesis of Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder.

The triad composed by α-Klotho, fibroblast growth factor-23, and its receptor are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) is a metalloproteinase causing the proteolytic shedding of α-Klotho from the cell membrane, and its role in chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder is not yet known. We studied the circulating levels of the above-mentioned mediators in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism due to uremia, compared to control subjects, as well as in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. We also measured the immunofluorescence pattern of the relevant tissue proteins in specimens obtained from patients undergoing parathyroid surgery for secondary compared to primary hyperparathyroidism. Results showed that α-Klotho tissue levels are reduced, in the presence of increased ADAM17 tissue levels. In addition, we showed increased serum levels of the main product of ADAM17 proteolytic activity, tumor necrosis factor-α. Thus, we found a paradoxical situation, in secondary compared to primary hyperparathyroidism, that is, that in the face of increased tumor necrosis factor-α in circulation, both soluble and tissue α-Klotho are reduced significantly, despite increased tissue ADAM17. In conclusion, tissue and serum levels of α-Klotho seem to have become independent from the regulation induced by ADAM17, which constitutes therefore another tassel in the impaired α-Klotho-FGF23 receptor axis present in uremia.

EFFECTIVENESS OF PERINEAL PELVIS REHABILITATION COMBINED WITH BIOFEEDBACK AND RADIOFREQUENCY DIATHERMY (RDF) IN ANORECTAL FUNCTIONAL PAIN SYNDROMES ASSOCIATED WITH PARADOXICAL CONTRACTION OF THE LEVATOR ANI MUSCLES. A PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

•Anorectal functional pain syndrome is a very often disabling disease with a consequent significant negative impact on the patient's quality of life. Chronic proctalgia, in many patients, is secondary to the paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor and associated with a dissynergy between the thorax-abdomen and the pelvic floor. •The use of radiofrequency diathermy with a system of static electrodes associated with biofeedback represents a valid rehabilitation option for those patients suffering from anorectal functional pain syndrome because it reduces pain and paradoxical contraction of the levator ani and improves quality of life of the patient. Background - Anorectal functional pain syndrome, also called chronic proctalgia, represents a neglected clinical entity and often confused with other syndromes such as vulvodynia or acute proctalgia. It is a very often disabling disease with a consequent significant negative impact on the patient's quality of life. Chronic proctalgia, in many patients, is secondary to the paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor and associated with a dissynergy between the thorax-abdomen and the pelvic floor. To improve symptoms in functional anorectal pain syndromes, various rehabilitation techniques are used with the aim of promoting relaxation of the pelvic floor; however, to improve defecatory dynamics in patients with levator ani syndrome, only biofeedback has shown efficacy in a randomized study. The aim of this work is to evaluate whether a rehabilitation protocol with manometric biofeedback and radiofrequency diathermy (mt100 Fremslife emotion Tecar) reduces pain and paradoxical contraction of the levator ani and improves the quality of life in patients with anorectal pain syndromes. functional. Methods - This was a prospective study on 30 patients (20 women and 10 men) with anorectal functional pain syndrome and paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor enrolled at the UOC of General, Minimally Invasive, Oncological and Obesity Surgery of the AOU "Luigi Vanvitelli" of Naples, Italy, from September 2021 to May 2022. All patients were evaluated with a coloproctological specialist visit followed by anorectal manometry and evaluation of altered clinical physiatric parameters (Brusciano Score). The protocol consisted of 10 rehabilitation sessions of the pelvic floor once a week and lasting approximately 45 minutes. During the sessions the patients were subjected to diathermy / radiofrequency treatment (10 minutes) with a static resistive electrode on the diaphragm, during which they were required to breathe diaphragmatically and to become aware of the perineal muscles, under the supervision of a physiotherapist; followed by application of diathermy with static capacitive (5 minutes) and resistive (10 minutes) electrode at the lumbar level. This was followed by the use of manometric biofeedback (15 minutes of tonic / phasic exercises) in order to instruct the patient on the reflex mechanism to obtain a voluntary relaxation of the external anal sphincter. The variables evaluated were Pain (VAS 0-10) and the questionnaire on the impact of colorectal and anal pathologies on the quality of life (CRAIQ-7) at the beginning, after 3 months and at the end of the treatment. Results - After 10 weeks, the rehabilitation treatment combined with diathermy and manometric biofeedback proved effective in the short term with a reduction in the scores of the Vas scale and CRAIQ-7 questionnaire and an increase in the percentage of release of the anal muscles on anorectal manometry. Conclusion - The use of radiofrequency diathermy with a system of static electrodes associated with biofeedback represents a valid rehabilitation option for those patients suffering from anorectal functional pain syndrome because it reduces pain and paradoxical contraction of the levator ani and improves quality of life of the patient.

The Role of Bacterial Colonization of the Suture Thread in Early Identification and Targeted Antibiotic Treatment of Surgical Site Infections: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of the colonization of suture thread to identify patients at risk of developing a surgical site infection (SSI) after clean surgical procedures. Methods: Patients who underwent elective clean surgery procedures at the Surgery Unit of the AOU-University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in a 21-month period were prospectively enrolled. For each patient, a synthetic absorbable thread in Lactomer 9-1 was inserted into the surgical site at the end of surgery and microbiologically evaluated after 48 h. Antibiotic prophylaxis was chosen according to international guidelines. Results: A total of 238 patients were enrolled; 208 (87.4%) of them were subjected to clean procedures without the placement of prosthesis, and 30 (12.6%) with prosthesis. Of the 238 patients, 117 (49.2%) underwent an antimicrobial prophylaxis. Overall, 79 (33.2%) patients showed a bacterial colonization of the thread: among the 208 without the implantation of prosthesis, 19 (21.8%) of the 87 with antibiotic prophylaxis and in 58 (47.9%) of the 121 without it; among the 30 patients with the implantation of prosthesis, only two patients showed a colonized thread. The patients with antibiotic prophylaxis developed a colonization of the thread less frequently than those without it (17.9% vs. 47.9%, p < 0.001). SSI was observed in six (2.5%) patients, all of them showing a colonized thread (7.6% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). The bacteria identified in colonized threads were the same as those found in SSIs. Conclusions: Our study presents a new method that is able to precociously assess patients who have undergone clean procedures who may develop SSI, and identify the microorganism involved.

[Coleman lipofilling: experience of an Italian group and review of the literature]. / Lipomodellamento secondo Coleman: esperienza di un gruppo italiano e revisione della letteratura.

Although the first operation of reconstructive breast surgery dates back to the end of the nineteenth century, it was only in the last decade of the twentieth century that lipofilling became widely adopted in the management of diseases of the breast. The Coleman technique involves taking a sample of fat from the regions of the body where it is largely present (abdomen, trochanter region, groin, knee), followed by centrifugation and the grafting of the fat cells thus purified. In 1987 the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery banned the diffusion of this procedure because it was considered of little benefit for both aesthetic and oncological purposes. From January 2005 to May 2007, 17 patients underwent lipofilling according to the Coleman technique at the Operative Unit of General Surgery of the "San Giuseppe Moscati" Hospital in Avellino. Previously, 15 (88%) of the 17 women had received reconstructive breast surgery with a prosthesis after a Madden total mastectomy. As regards the other 2 patients, when admitted to hospital, one (5.9%) presented a pectum excavatum and the other (5.9%) a congenital depression of the temporal bone. No important complications were observed in the postoperative course. At a distance of 6 and 12 months after the injection, follow-up monitoring revealed that the loss of substance in the grafted adipose tissue was about 53%. In conclusion, reconstructive breast surgery should always be attempted after radical surgery. The multidisciplinary cooperation of radiologists, surgeons, anatomical pathologists and psychologists, in our opinion, avoids the danger of poor aesthetic results and the risk of underestimating a possible tumour relapse.

Effects of high and low ligation on survival in patients operated for colorectal cancer.

In spite of numerous studies on the subject, it is still unclear whether or not high ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (at about 1 cm from its origin) improves the 5-year survival rate in patients operated on for colorectal cancer in comparison to low ligation (ligation below the origin of the left colic artery). From February 2000 to November 2001 40 patients with cancer of the colic segment between the descending sigmoid junction and the low rectum underwent surgical colorectal resection and low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery. At the end of 5 years of observation we report a survival rate of 70% which is not very far from the value reported in the literature. In our study, the incidence of lymph-node metastases, inexistent in patients with T1 grading increases with the increase in the TNM T grading but does not depend on the location of the cancer. In our patients age below 65 years was a negative prognostic indicator because colorectal tumours in patients of that age are associated with a higher incidence of lymph-node metastases. On the basis of the data we obtained, it is also evident that the 5-year survival rate decreases in proportion to the increase in the distance of the lymph-node metastases from the mesenteric margin of the colon. In conclusion, in the treatment of cancers located between the descending sigmoid junction and the low rectum, we prefer to execute a low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery because it exposes the patient to a lower risk of intra- and postoperative complications and also because several authors have demonstrated that high ligation with removal of lymph nodes at the origin of the artery for colorectal cancer does not improve the 5-year survival rate.

[Prognostic and therapeutic value of D2 lymphadenectomy in the treatment of gastric cancer: experience of an Italian team]. / Valore prognostico e terapeutico della linfoadenectomia D2 nel trattamento chirurgico del cancro gastrico: considerazioni di un gruppo Italiano.

Recently, the incidence of gastric cancer and the related percentage of mortality have been decreasing world-wide, especially in the industrialised countries. Surgery has commonly been opted for as primary treatment of this disease. However, the optimal extent of surgical intervention is still debated. Japanese surgeons have been the pioneers of perigastric and celiac tripod lymphadenectomies in an attempt to improve long-term survival and the postoperative disease-free period. In recent years, D2 resection has been compared with D1 resection, which consists in excision of the stomach along with its locoregional nodes. From March 2002 to January 2007, 70 interventions for gastric cancer were performed at the VII Division of General Surgery of the Second University of Naples. All patients underwent excision of the lymph nodes from stations 1 to 6 (D1) combined with excision of stations 7 to 12 (D2). In 32 cases (45.7%) there were no metastatic lymph nodes (NO), in 28 patients (40%) 1 to 6 nodes proved metastatic (N1), and in 10 cases (14.3%) from 7 to 15 nodes were metastasised (N2). The incidence of metastatic lymph nodes was 54.3% and the prevalence 13.6%. Metastatic lymph nodes were found mostly in T3 (15/24) and T4 (14/20) stage tumours rather than in T1 (3/12) and T2 (6/14) neoplasms. Two patients (2.86%) died within 60 days of the intervention. The overall postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 21.43% and 2.86%, respectively. D2 gastrectomies without pancreatic resections present distinct advantages in terms of long-term survival and are associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality rates which are similar to those obtained after D1 node resection.

Eficácia da reabilitação perineal combinada com biofeedback e diatermia por radiofrequência (RDF) em síndromes de dor funcional anorretal associadas à contração paradoxal dos músculos elevadores do ânus. Um estudo prospectivo / Effectiveness of perineal pelvis rehabilitation combined with biofeedback and radiofrequency diathermy (rdf) in anorectal functional pain syndromes associated with paradoxical contraction of the levator ani muscles. a prospective study

ABSTRACT Background: Anorectal functional pain syndrome, also called chronic proctalgia, represents a neglected clinical entity and often confused with other syndromes such as vulvodynia or acute proctalgia. It is a very often disabling disease with a consequent significant negative impact on the patient's quality of life. Chronic proctalgia, in many patients, is secondary to the paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor and associated with a dissynergy between the thorax-abdomen and the pelvic floor. To improve symptoms in functional anorectal pain syndromes, various rehabilitation techniques are used with the aim of promoting relaxation of the pelvic floor; however, to improve defecatory dynamics in patients with levator ani syndrome, only biofeedback has shown efficacy in a randomized study. The aim of this work is to evaluate whether a rehabilitation protocol with manometric biofeedback and radiofrequency diathermy (mt100 Fremslife emotion Tecar) reduces pain and paradoxical contraction of the levator ani and improves the quality of life in patients with anorectal pain syndromes. functional. Methods: This was a prospective study on 30 patients (20 women and 10 men) with anorectal functional pain syndrome and paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor enrolled at the UOC of General, Minimally Invasive, Oncological and Obesity Surgery of the AOU "Luigi Vanvitelli" of Naples, Italy, from September 2021 to May 2022. All patients were evaluated with a coloproctological specialist visit followed by anorectal manometry and evaluation of altered clinical physiatric parameters (Brusciano Score). The protocol consisted of 10 rehabilitation sessions of the pelvic floor once a week and lasting approximately 45 minutes. During the sessions the patients were subjected to diathermy / radiofrequency treatment (10 minutes) with a static resistive electrode on the diaphragm, during which they were required to breathe diaphragmatically and to become aware of the perineal muscles, under the supervision of a physiotherapist; followed by application of diathermy with static capacitive (5 minutes) and resistive (10 minutes) electrode at the lumbar level. This was followed by the use of manometric biofeedback (15 minutes of tonic / phasic exercises) in order to instruct the patient on the reflex mechanism to obtain a voluntary relaxation of the external anal sphincter. The variables evaluated were Pain (VAS 0-10) and the questionnaire on the impact of colorectal and anal pathologies on the quality of life (CRAIQ-7) at the beginning, after 3 months and at the end of the treatment. Results: After 10 weeks, the rehabilitation treatment combined with diathermy and manometric biofeedback proved effective in the short term with a reduction in the scores of the Vas scale and CRAIQ-7 questionnaire and an increase in the percentage of release of the anal muscles on anorectal manometry. Conclusion: The use of radiofrequency diathermy with a system of static electrodes associated with biofeedback represents a valid rehabilitation option for those patients suffering from anorectal functional pain syndrome because it reduces pain and paradoxical contraction of the levator ani and improves quality of life of the patient.

RESUMO Contexto: A síndrome de dor funcional anorretal, também conhecida como proctalgia crônica, representa uma entidade clínica negligenciada e frequentemente confundida com outras síndromes, como vulvodinia ou proctalgia aguda. Trata-se de uma doença frequentemente incapacitante, com um consequente impacto negativo significativo na qualidade de vida do paciente. A proctalgia crônica, em muitos pacientes, é secundária à contração paradoxal do assoalho pélvico e está associada a uma dissinergia entre o tórax-abdômen e o assoalho pélvico. Para melhorar os sintomas em síndromes de dor anorretal funcional, são utilizadas diversas técnicas de reabilitação com o objetivo de promover o relaxamento do assoalho pélvico. No entanto, para melhorar a dinâmica de evacuação em pacientes com síndrome do elevador do ânus, apenas o biofeedback demonstrou eficácia em um estudo randomizado. Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar se um protocolo de reabilitação com biofeedback manométrico e diatermia por radiofrequência (mt100 Fremslife emotion Tecar) reduz a dor e a contração paradoxal do elevador do ânus e melhora a qualidade de vida em pacientes com síndromes de dor anorretal funcional. Métodos: Realizado estudo prospectivo com 30 pacientes (20 mulheres e 10 homens) com síndrome de dor anorretal funcional e contração paradoxal do assoalho pélvico inscritos na UOC de Cirurgia Geral, Minimamente Invasiva, Oncológica e de Obesidade da AOU "Luigi Vanvitelli" de Nápoles, Itália, de setembro de 2021 a maio de 2022. Todos os pacientes foram avaliados com uma consulta especializada em coloproctologia, seguida de manometria anorretal e avaliação dos parâmetros fisiátricos clínicos alterados (Escore de Brusciano). O protocolo consistiu em 10 sessões de reabilitação do assoalho pélvico, uma vez por semana, com duração aproximada de 45 minutos. Durante as sessões, os pacientes foram submetidos a tratamento de diatermia / radiofrequência (10 minutos) com um eletrodo resistivo estático no diafragma, durante o qual foram solicitados a respirar através do diafragma e a tomar consciência dos músculos perineais, sob a supervisão de um fisioterapeuta; seguido pela aplicação de diatermia com eletrodo capacitivo estático (5 minutos) e resistivo (10 minutos) no nível lombar. Isso foi seguido pelo uso de biofeedback manométrico (15 minutos de exercícios tônicos /fásicos) com o objetivo de instruir o paciente sobre o mecanismo reflexo para obter um relaxamento voluntário do esfíncter anal externo. As variáveis avaliadas foram Dor (EVA 0-10) e o questionário sobre o impacto das patologias colorretais e anais na qualidade de vida (CRAIQ-7) no início, após 3 meses e no final do tratamento. Resultados: Após 10 semanas, o tratamento de reabilitação combinado com diatermia e biofeedback manométrico mostrou-se eficaz a curto prazo, com uma redução nos escores da escala VAS e do questionário CRAIQ-7, e um aumento na porcentagem de relaxamento dos músculos anais na manometria anorretal. Conclusão: O uso de diatermia por radiofrequência com um sistema de eletrodos estáticos associado ao biofeedback representa uma opção de reabilitação válida para pacientes que sofrem com a síndrome de dor anorretal funcional, pois reduz a dor e a contração paradoxal do elevador do ânus, melhorando a qualidade de vida do paciente.

[Surgical treatment of Basedow's disease: our experience with 424 operations]. / Trattamento chirurgico del morbo di basedow. Nostra esperienza su 424 interventi.

From February 2002 to December 2005, 424 operations for thyroid disease were performed in our institute. Twenty-two patients were suffering from Basedow's disease, 14 female and 8 male, mean age 36 years (range: 23 to 53 years). In each patient the diagnosis of Basedow's disease was made according to common clinical and laboratory criteria, by evaluation of the thyroid hormones, TSH and TRAB. Before operation all patients were rendered euthyroid with antithyroid drug treatment. Fourteen total thyroidectomies (64%) and 8 near-total thyroidectomies (36%) were performed. Postoperative thyroid function status was evaluated before, 3-4 weeks after the operation and then 3, 6,12 and 24 months postoperatively. The patients were classified as euthyroid (FT3-FT4 and TSH normal), hypothyroid (FT3 and/or FT4 reduced and TSH increased), or hyperthyroid (FT3-FT4 increased). In expert hands, surgical treatment appears to be capable of curing the hyperthyroidism of Basedow's disease effectively, with a very low and largely acceptable risk of complications. Among the different types of surgery, total thyroidectomy and near-total thyroidectomy are equally appropriate to ensure there is no risk of recurrence of hyperthyroidism.

Surgical therapy of goiter plunged in the mediastinum. Considerations regarding our experience with 165 patients.

Thyroid goiter is called plunged when, starting from the cervical region, it grows in the anterior-superior mediastinum to a depth of more than 2 cm. The highest frequency (48.44%) is evident in the age range from 60 to 70. From February 2002 to August 2005, performed 133 (80.6%) near total thyroidectomies, 26 total thyroidectomies (15.7%), 4 lobectomies (2.4%) and 2 (1.2%) totalisations of recurrences for plunged goiter in the 7th Division of General Surgery of the Second University of Naples. The goiters were classified using Lamke and Ferrante's topographical classification, which distinguishes between prevascular and retrovascular cervico-mediastinal goiters depending on the position assumed by the part plunged in the mediastinum in relation to the vascular layer of the epiaortic trunks. Retrovascular goiters are further subdivided into: pre-tracheal, laterovisceral and retrovisceral goiters depending on the relation to the trachea, oesophagus and epiaortic trunks. Among the patients who underwent near total thyroidectomy, there were 3 cases of permanent hypocalcaemia, 7 (7.2%) of temporary hypocalcaemia and only 1 (0.6%) monolateral temporary recurrent nerve lesion. Among those who underwent total thyroidectomy there was 1 case (0.6%) of temporary hypocalcaemia, and 1 (0.6%) of permanent hypocalcaemia. Postoperatively we also observed 3 cases (1.8%) of haemorrhage and 3 (1.8%) transfers to intensive care for respiratory insufficiency; 1 of these patients died 25 days after the operation. Ligature of the inferior and superior thyroid artery near the thyroid capsule protects the vascularisation of the parathyroid glands as well as the recurrent nerve and its division branches.

Role of parathyroidectomy on anemia control and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent need in secondary hyperparathyroidism of chronic kidney disease. A retrospective study in 30 hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroidectomy (Ptx) ameliorates anemia (A) and reduces postoperative erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) requirement. The authors retrospectively evaluated the effects of successful Ptx on chronic A and ESA need in 30 2HPT patients. METHODS: From 2004 to 2009,30 anemic hemodialysis (HD) patients, affected by severe 2HPT, underwent Ptx -15 total parathyroidectomy (TP) and 15 TP + subcutaneous autoimplantation (TPai). Patients were evaluated for iPTH, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, erythrocyte count, hematocrit and erythropoietin dosing before and at 6, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: In every case, Ptx achieved a dramatic reduction of iPTH levels. In 26/30 cases(86.6%) an improvement of Hb levels was observed,and 27/30 (90%) patients did not need postoperative ESA treatment,irrespective of the type of surgical procedure carried out (TP or TPai). CONCLUSIONS: Successful Ptx for 2HPT of CKD determined a considerable improvement of A,reducing exogenous ESA need.In 2HPT of HD patients A is a secondary indication to surgical treatment,but we propose that this condition should be taken into more careful account, given the high costs of ESA therapy.

Cytologically undetermined thyroid's follicular lesions: surgical procedures and histological outcome in 472 cases.

BACKGROUND: Fine needle cytology (FNC) of thyroid nodules is not always diagnostic. Most of FNCs undeterminated for malignancy belong to the cytological class of "follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm" lesions (FN). In this group only 10-30% of cases are malignant and the most appropriate surgical management is still controversial. Here, this issue was addressed and the more reliable predictive criteria of malignancy were also evaluated. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 472 patients, surgically treated after a FN diagnosis in a tertiary care referral center. In patients affected by bilateral thyroid disease with a cytological diagnosis of FN, or when high-risk clinical features and familiarity for thyroid cancer were present, total thyroidectomy (TT) was performed. Conversely, hemithyroidectomy (HT) was preferred when the nodule was single and when the age was ≤ 45 years. Frozen section examination was not used, and if cancer was diagnosed by definitive pathology of the HT specimen, the remnant thyroid lobe was removed. Histological features, surgical complications, and long-term outcomes of the remnant lobe were reported. Clinical features predictivity was also evaluated. RESULTS: TT was performed in 154/472 pts (32.62%), while HT was carried out in 318/472 cases (67.37%). The overall malignancy rate (MR) was 18.85% (89/472 pts), respectively 16% (51/318pts) following HT, and 24.6% (38/154pts) following TT, with a statistically significant difference. Similarly, the rates of transient and definitive hypoparathyroidism and the mean hospital stay following TT were higher than after HT (and statistically significant). Age < 45years and female gender were more frequently associated to malignancy. The rate of complications following second surgery was comparable to that of primary HT. In the HT group incidence of unexpected contralateral papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was 9.8% and, after 88.2 ± 30.42 months mean follow-up, completion surgery for benign pathology was carried out in 6.7% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that histology following a cytological FN diagnosis is malignant only in a low percentage of cases (89/472, 18.85%). Following TT, a MR higher than in HT was observed. Even if some clinical features are cancer associated, malignancy cannot be reliably predicted before surgery. Thus, in solitary low-risk lesions, HT is still the standard of care. Its lower complication rates makes HT the safest procedure. In case of multiglandular disease TT may be recommended. Further investigation is warranted to achieve a better preoperative diagnostic accuracy in order to reduce the amount of surgical operations with diagnostic aim.

Total thyroidectomy, without prophylactic central lymph node dissection, in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. Clinical retrospective study on 221 cases.

Total thyroidectomy (TT) is the standard of care for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), but still there is no consensus about the role of routine use of prophylactic central lymph node dissection. The aim of this study was to analyze our results of TT without prophylactic central lymphadenectomy in the treatment of DTC. Clinical records, between January 1998 and December 2005, of 221 patients undergoing TT, without prophylactic central lymph node dissection, were retrospectively evaluated. Two hundred and eleven patients (95.47 %) also underwent radioiodine (RAI) ablation followed by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy. In patients with loco-regional lymph nodal recurrence, lateral and central lymph node dissection was performed. The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism (iPTH <10 pg/ml) and permanent vocal fold paralysis were, respectively, 0.91 and 0.91 %. After a 9.6 ± 3.5 years mean follow-up, the rate of loco-regional recurrence, with positive cervical lymph nodes, was 3.16 % (7/221 patients). In these cases a lateral and central lymphadenectomy was carried out without significant complications. Our results showed that TT without prophylactic central lymph node dissection, followed by RAI ablation, was associated with low morbidity and low loco-regional recurrence rate, even if the lack of a control group treated with TT plus prophylactic central lymphadenectomy suggests caution against generalization of our assumption. Such last combined procedure could be indicated in high-risk patients, in whom loco-regional recurrence is more frequent. However, given the trend in the literature toward prophylactic lymphadenectomy and the avoidance of RAI treatment, prospective randomized trials should be conducted to better clarify this issue.