[Outcome of surgery in 300 cases of hyperthyroidism, including 40 with cardiotoxicity (author's transl)].

Of 300 patients who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy, 204 had Graves' disease, 52 solitary toxic goiter and 39 multinodular toxic goiter. Cardiotoxicity was present in 40 cases. Immediate post-operative complications could be avoided by the use of propranolol, neuroleptanalgesia and, in a few very severe cases, hypothermia. Long term results were satisfactory, even after surgery for diffuse hyperthyroidism. Relapses occurred in only 2%, and permanent hypothyroidsm developed within 3 years in only 18% of patients with Graves' disease, this being due to the preservation of 6 grams of thyroid tissue systematically measured by comparative double-weighing. The authors insist on the value of this technique, guess evaluation being unreliable. Cardiotoxicity did not increase post-operative complications, nor the risk of permanent hypothyroidism. The good results obtained should encourage wider surgical indications for the treatment of Graves' disease, solitary toxic goiter or multinodular toxic goiter.