ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To examine the presentation, workup, and surgical complications of substernal goitre. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: Twenty-four mostly elderly patients (mean age, 60.1 years) who underwent thyroidectomy for substernal goitres between 2000 and 2003 (substernal goitres were defined as those having either a caudal mass transgressing the fourth thoracic vertebra or having more than 50% of their overall mass residing within the thorax). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Symptoms, histopathological diagnoses, morbidities, and complications. RESULTS: Dyspnoea was the most common symptom (n=8, 33%). Three (12.5%) patients presented with acute airway obstruction; however, 13 (54.2%) were asymptomatic apart from the presence of cervical masses. Computed tomographic scans were performed on all but two patients. Malignancy was present in 12.6% of patients, or 16.8% if occult papillary carcinoma is included. Partial or full sternotomies were performed in two (8.3%) patients. Complications included recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (n=1, 2.7% of nerves at risk), transient hypoparathyroidism (n=2, 13.3% of patients at risk), haematoma (n=1, 2.7%), pneumonia (n=1, 2.7%), and wound infection (n=1, 2.7%). There was no operative mortality or permanent hypoparathyroidism. The complication rate was significantly lower in the asymptomatic patients (P=0.033 by Fisher's exact test); clinicopathological parameters were otherwise statistically comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is rarely any mortality in thyroidectomy for substernal goitre, and the morbidity is also very low, especially in asymptomatic patients. In the absence of contra-indications, substernal goitre should be treated with early surgery rather than having it run the risk of acute airway distress or cancer.
