Thyroidectomy in children

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Surgical management of thyroid disease in children presents several peculiarities and has increasingly developed in recent years, but historically few studies conducted with this population have been published. Objective: Analysis of the surgical approach and postoperative outcomes of 59 pediatric patients submitted to thyroidectomy between 2003 and 2019. Methods: An outpatient postoperative follow-up of 59 patients aged 3-18 years submitted to thyroidectomy for different causes was performed, and immediate and late postoperative outcomes were analyzed. The operations were performed at a University Hospital as well as at Private Tertiary Hospitals. Results: The following postoperative outcomes were observed: three tracheostomies, 22 patients with transient hypoparathyroidism, eight patients with definitive hypoparathyroidism, and three patients with vocal fold paralysis. Conclusion: Thyroidectomy in children is a procedure with a higher complication rate and needs to be performed by a team of high-volume surgeons. This study focuses on the adverse events, so that those interested in the subject are aware of them.