[Operative treatment of Graves' disease: supersubtotal resection of the thyroid gland].

The article is devoted to an actual problem - decision on the volume of resection of the thyroid gland in patients with diffuse toxic goiter. On the basis of an analysis of long-tern results of surgical treatment of 604 patients preference is given to supersubtotal thyroidectomy with 2 g of the thyroid tissue left after surgery since it prevents the development of recurrent thyrotoxicosis as well as of a severe hypothyrosis even with a not regular taking levothyroxin. It was found that in children and adolescents the risk of the development of thyrotoxicosis is higher than in adults. The details of surgical operations responsible for preservation of the recurrent nerves and parathyroid glands are considered.