Thyroidectomy

Thyroidectomy

Anesthesia type	General
Airway	Neuromonitoring ETT
Lines and access	PIV
Monitors	Standard 5-lead ECG Neuromonitoring
Primary anesthetic considerations
Preoperative
Intraoperative
Postoperative	Hypocalcemia Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
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Editor rating	In development
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A thyroidectomy is a procedure used to treat patients with hyperthyroidism that has not responded to conservative medical treatment. Procedure can involve the removal of the entire thyroid gland (total thyroidectomy), removal of 1 lobe (thyroid lobectomy, or hemithyroidectomy), or some variation. The procedure is usually done as an open thyroidectomy, though a minimally invasive transoral thyroidectomy can also be performed.

Preoperative management

Patient evaluation

System	Considerations
Airway
Neurologic
Cardiovascular
Pulmonary
Gastrointestinal
Hematologic
Renal
Endocrine
Other

Postoperative management

Potential complications

• Neck hematoma is rare but can develop rapidly, resulting airway compromise. Thus it is a surgical emergency requiring prompt takeback.
• Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, if unilateral, results in a hoarse voice, but if bilateral, can result in obstructed airway requiring emergent tracheostomy

Procedure variants

	Variant 1	Variant 2
Unique considerations	Open thyroidectomy	Transoral thyroidectomy (minimally invasive)
Position
Surgical time
EBL
Postoperative disposition
Pain management
Potential complications