[Benign diseases of the thyroid: indications for surgical treatment and the current role of total thyroidectomy].

Total thyroidectomy is the most popular surgical option in a wide range of indications for the treatment of benign disease of the thyroid. The preference for the procedure derives from a long period of observation and clinical experience dating as far back as the early 'seventies and confirms its safety and efficiency. Nevertheless, many doubts still exist as to the indications in the context of benign thyroid disease, as well as the incidence and seriousness of the complications which, though not frequent, are often invalidating. On the basis of the experience gained over the period from January 1994 to November 2002 in 697 patients undergoing surgery for benign disease of the thyroid, the authors analyse the indications for the various different therapeutic options and evaluate the results of total thyroidectomy in terms of therapeutic efficiency, relapse rates and complications. The latter are analysed on the basis of dividing the patients into 2 groups, one comprising 545 patients treated with total thyroidectomy as first-line treatment and the second consisting of 34 patients treated with total thyroidectomy for relapsing goitre after subtotal thyroidectomy. Comparison of the respective incidences of complications reveals a significant difference between the two groups of patients. Total thyroidectomy after subtotal thyroidectomy presented a significantly higher percentage of complications than initial total thyroidectomy. The authors come out in favour of total thyroidectomy with its low incidence of complications and the radical control of the disease it affords, reserving lobectomy-isthmectomy for selected cases of patients with monolateral disease which does not expose the patient to any risk of relapse.