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Drainage after thyroid surgery: a prospective randomized study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Christian Debry*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Leon Toulhadjian Hospital, Poissy, France.
Guy Renou
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Leon Toulhadjian Hospital, Poissy, France.
Abe Fingerhut
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Leon Toulhadjian Hospital, Poissy, France.
*
Address for correspondence: Christian Debry, Hopital Leon Toulhadjian, 10, rue due Champ Gaillard, 78303 Poissy Cédex, France. Fax: (0033) 1 39 27 44 31

Abstract

Between November, 1996 and May, 1997 a series of 100 consecutive unselected patients undergoing all types of thyroid surgery – including even those inducing large dead space e.g. substernal goitre and carcinoma thyroid with recurrent nerve dissection – were randomly allotted to either receive drainage (n = 43) or not (n = 57). Patients with cervical dissection for lymph node metastasis were not included. Severe intra-operative haemorrhage was not a reason for exclusion. No complications such as haematoma or seroma were found in the undrained group whereas only minor complications such as haematoma (n = 4) were noted in the drained group. Whatever the group, none of the patients required reexploration. The difference in overall hospital stay (1.72 days in the group of undrained patients versus 2.09 days in the drained group) was not statistically significant.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1999

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