Table 6.
Technical differences in thyroid/parathyroid surgery by practice setting, n ( % of respondents).
| Always/Mostly | Half-time | Some-times | Rarely | Unsure | P(t-test) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use RLN neuromonitor | ||||||
| Non-University | 37(29) | 3(2) | 13(10) | 74(57) | 2(2) | .308 |
| University | 28(26) | 11(10) | 21(20) | 46(43) | 1(1) | |
| Use electrocautery near TE groove | ||||||
| Non-University | 14(11) | 4(3) | 14(11) | 97(75) | - | .581 |
| University | 7(7) | 2(2) | 21(20) | 77(72) | ||
| Use bipolar near TE groove | ||||||
| Non-University | 31(24) | 10(8) | 24(19) | 63(49) | 1(1) | .297 |
| University | 31(29) | 10(9) | 20(19) | 46(43) | 0(0) | |
| Use harmonic scalpel on vessels | ||||||
| Non-University | 43(33) | 11(9) | 20(16) | 54(42) | 1(1) | .561 |
| University | 31(29) | 19(18) | 21(20) | 35(33) | 1(1) | |
| Dissect RLN | ||||||
| Non-University | 76(59) | 14(11) | 20(16) | 19(15) | 0(0) | .001 |
| University | 77(72) | 16(15) | 10(9) | 3(3) | 1(1) | |
| Look for EBSLN | ||||||
| Non-University | 31(24) | 15(12) | 34(26) | 49(38) | 0(0) | .008 |
| University | 35(33) | 15(14) | 36(34) | 19(18) | 2(2) | |
| Divide Strap muscles | ||||||
| Non-University | 5(4) | 2(2) | 28(22) | 93(72) | 1(1) | .035 |
| University | 8(8) | 5(5) | 29(27) | 64(60) | 1(1) |
P-values are from t-test where categories were coded as 4-Always, 3-Half-time, 2-Sometime and 1-Rarely and treated as ordinal data. “Unsure” data were not included in the analysis.