Partial thyroidectomy under local anaesthesia—the analysis of 49 subsequent cases

Abstract
Background and aims  Partial thyroidectomy under local anaesthesia was performed in 49 subsequent individuals in the Central African Republic.
Because of the shortage of medical resources, all patients with goitre were scheduled for an operation under local anaesthesia.

Materials and methods  There were no inclusion or exclusion criteria applied for patient selection for the procedure. Before the operation, patients
had received an oral sedation and antibiotic. For infiltration anaesthesia, 1% lignocaine was used.

Results  Subtotal bilateral thyroidectomy was performed in 37 patients; 12 patients underwent lobectomy or partial lobectomy of the
affected portion of the gland. There were no intraoperative complications in any of the patients. The mean time of the procedure
averaged 127 min. There were no postoperative complications noticed in the reported group, and this includes also complications
related to laryngeal nerve injury. General condition of the operated on patients allowed for full self-dependency within 4
to 6 h postoperatively. Patients remained under medical surveillance for mean 3 days, and cutaneous stitches were removed
on the first postoperative day. General condition of all patients on the day of discharge from hospital was good.

Conclusion  Surgery for goitre under local anaesthesia may be a safe alternative where general anaesthesia is not available or contraindicated
for medical reasons.

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Endocrine SurgeryDOI 10.1007/s00423-008-0345-zAuthors
Tomasz Banasiewicz, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandWiktor Meissner, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandPrzemysław Pyda, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandTomasz Wierzbicki, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandMichał Głyda, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandMikołaj Musiał, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań PolandSzymon Smoliński, State Hospital Department of Surgery Sroda Wielkopolska PolandKatarzyna Iwanik, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Clinical Pathology Poznań PolandMichał Drews, K. Marcinkowski Medical University Department of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery Ul. Przybyszewskiego 49 60-355 Poznań Poland

Journal Langenbeck's Archives of SurgeryOnline ISSN 1435-2451Print ISSN 1435-2443 (Source: Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery)