Quality of life assessment in patients undergoing partial and total thyroidectomy.

INTRODUCTION

Thyroidectomy, which consists of partial or total removal of the thyroid gland, is a commonly performed surgery to treat various thyroid diseases. In recent years, the trend has been toward partial thyroidectomies, due to their association with lower complication rates and the fact that they may be sufficient for adequate management.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of partial and total thyroidectomy on quality of life.

METHODS

This study used the ThyPro questionnaire, which assesses the quality of life of patients with thyroid disorders, to investigate the impact of different thyroidectomy approaches on patients' quality of life.

RESULTS

The postoperative complications were transient unilateral recurrent nerve paralysis (6.5%) and transitory hypoparathyroidism (22.4%). The quality of life outcomes after thyroidectomy were favorable. The extension of the thyroidectomy did not present statistical difference (p = 0.982). Significantly lower scores were associated with female gender and neck dissection.

CONCLUSION

Quality of life scores were high, with lower scores among women and neck dissection.