Completion Thyroidectomy Versus Total Thyroidectomy: Is There a Difference in Complication Rates? An Analysis of 350 Patients

BACKGROUND: This study compared our experience with completion thyroidectomy (CT) and total thyroidectomy (TT) in the management of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC). We compared complication rates and analyzed the implications of the intraoperative management of the parathyroid glands. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing outcomes between patients undergoing CT and TT between January 1994 and December 2004. All patients had surgery for either suspected or confirmed WDTC on fine-needle aspiration. RESULTS: There were 201 CTs and 149 TTs. Mean hospital stays were 4.5 and 3.5 days for the CT and TT groups, respectively (p=0.001). Temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis occurred in 2.0% (4 of 201) and 3.3% (5 of 149) of patients in the CT and TT groups, respectively. There was one (0.5%) case of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis in the CT group. Permanent hypoparathyroidism rates were 2.5% and 3.3% in the CT and TT groups, respectively. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of total numbers of parathyroid glands autotransplanted (p=0.63) or present in the specimen (p=0.26). CONCLUSIONS: Completion thyroidectomy is a safe and appropriate option in the management of select cases of WDTC in which a definitive preoperative or intraoperative diagnosis is not available. But it requires a longer hospitalization, so it has implications for both hospital resources and the patients involved.