Thyroid surgery without drainage: 15 years of clinical experience.

Drainage in thyroid surgery has been a routine but empirical practice with no scientific evidence to support its benefit. The largest series to date of non-drainage in thyroid surgery is presented, comprising 260 patients over a 15-year period. No case selection for non-drainage was employed. Two hundred and fifty-nine cases were not drained and included toxic goitres, and bilateral and redo procedures. There was one thyroid storm and two cases of subcutaneous fluid collection, treated by needle aspiration. No cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, airway obstruction or death were recorded. This study strongly demonstrates the safety of non-drainage in routine thyroid surgery.