Table 2.
Thyroid, tracheal, and airflow parameters for patients with benign nodular goiter before and after surgery (n = 65)
| Parameters | Cervical goiter (n = 51) |
Substernal goiter (n = 14) |
Overall (n = 65) |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| before surgery | after surgery | p value | effect size | before surgery | after surgery | p value | effect size | be fore surgery | after surgery | % change | p value | effect size | |
| Thyroid volume, mL | 52 | 12 | <0.001 | 1.22 | 242 | 0 | <0.001 | 1.70 | 58 | 10 | 77 | <0.001 | 0.76 |
| (14–232) | (0–49) | (99–642) | (0–70) | (14–642) | (0–70) | ||||||||
| Thyroid tracheal | 300 | 138 | <0.001 | 7.96 | 305 | 0 | <0.001 | 6.90 | 300 | 133 | 59 | <0.001 | 7.22 |
| encirclement, ° | (253–353) | (0–282) | (226–360) | (0–169) | (226–360) | (0–282) | |||||||
| Tracheal narrowing, % | 35 | 29 | 0.001 | 0.49 | 62 | 30 | <0.001 | 1.69 | 39 | 29 | 26 | <0.001 | 0.67 |
| (0–59) | (0–61) | (40–90) | (7–54) | (0–90) | (0–54) | ||||||||
| Tracheal deviation, mm | 10±5 | 7±4 | <0.001 | 0.54 | 20±10 | 9±5 | <0.001 | 1.15 | 12±7 | 8±4 | 33 | <0.001 | 0.61 |
| Tracheal volume, cm3 | 17.7±5.3 | 19.0±5.5 <0.001 | 0.23 | 19.9±5.4 | 25.1±7.0 | <0.001 | 0.96 | 18.2±5 | 20.3±6 | 10 | <0.001 | 0.39 | |
| SCAT, cm2 | 1.6±0.5 | 1.8±0.5 | <0.001 | 0.48 | 1.1±0.6 | 2.0±0.6 | <0.001 | 1.74 | 1.5±0.5 | 1.8±0.5 | 17 | <0.001 | 0.73 |
| CCAT, cm2 | 2.4±0.6 | 2.5±0.7 | 0.06 | 0.15 | 3.0±0.8 | 3.0±0.7 | 0.49 | 0.08 | 2.5±0.7 | 2.6±0.7 | 3 | 0.17 | 0.09 |
| FVC, L | 4.1±0.9 | 4.0±0.9 | 0.001 | 0.10 | 3.7±0.9 | 3.7±0.8 | 0.74 | 0.02 | 4.0±0.9 | 3.9±0.9 | 2 | 0.004 | 0.08 |
| FEVb L | 3.2±0.7 | 3.1±0.7 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 2.8±0.7 | 2.8±0.7 | 0.39 | 0.05 | 3.1±0.7 | 3.0±0.7 | 0 | 0.14 | 0.06 |
| PEF, L/min | 7.9±2.1 | 8.0±1.8 | 0.60 | 0.05 | 5.9±1.9 | 7.6±2.0 | 0.004 | 0.92 | 7.5±2.2 | 8.0±1.9 | 2 | 0.03 | 0.19 |
| FEF50%, L/min | 3.7±1.5 | 3.5±1.3 | 0.14 | 0.09 | 3.0±1.2 | 2.7±1.1 | 0.01 | 0.22 | 3.5±1.4 | 3.4±1.3 | 7 | 0.03 | 0.11 |
| FIF50%, L/min | 5.1±1.3 | 5.5±1.5 | 0.02 | 0.31 | 3.6±1.1 | 4.6±1.3 | 0.02 | 0.98 | 4.8±1.4 | 5.3±1.5 | 7 | <0.001 | 0.32 |
| FIF50%/FIF50% | 0.7±0.3 | 0.7±0.3 | 0.01 | 0.21 | 0.9±0.4 | 0.6±0.3 | 0.006 | 0.72 | 0.8±0.3 | 0.7±0.3 | 13 | 0.001 | 0.29 |
| FEV1/PEF | 6.8±1.5 | 6.5±1.0 | 0.07 | 0.21 | 8.1±1.8 | 6.3±1.5 | 0.007 | 1.03 | 7.1±1.6 | 6.5±1.2 | 2 | 0.002 | 0.39 |
Values are median (range) or mean ± SD, unless otherwise specified. Comparison of values before and after surgery, using a paired t test. Median percent change before and 6 months after surgery. Effect sizes 0.2–0.5 were defined as small, 0.5–0.8 as moderate, and >0.8 as large. Tracheal narrowing (possible upper airway obstruction) is defined as (CCAT-SCAT)/CCAT, where SCAT is the smallest cross-sectional area of the trachea, and CCAT is the cross-sectional area 2 cm above the carina. FVC, forced vital capacity; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in the first second of forceful exhalation; PEF, peak flow; FEF50%, forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC; FIF50%, forced inspiratory flow at 50% of FVC.