Table 5.
Postoperative complications.
| Parameter | All Patients (n = 12,888) | Multinodular Goitre (n = 9069) | Graves’ Disease (n = 925) | Other Entities (n = 2894) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Function RLN at discharge * | ||||
| nerves at risk (NAR) | 18,793 (100%) | 13,498 (100%) | 1766 (100%) | 3529 (100%) |
| not assessed | 833 (4.4%) | 580 (4.3%) | 48 (2.7%) | 205 (5.8%) |
| normal referring to NAR | 17,288 (92.0%) | 12,424 (92.0%) | 1649 (93.4%) | 3215 (91.1%) |
| dysfunction referring to NAR | 672 (3.6%) | 494 (3.7%) | 69 (3.9%) | 109 (3.7%) |
| unilateral paralysis | 418 (2.2%) | 299 (2.2%) | 50 (2.8%) | 69 (2.3%) |
| unilateral incomplete palsy | 240 (1.3%) | 185 (1.4%) | 15 (0.9%) | 40 (1.4%) |
| bilateral paralysis | 4 (0.02%) | 4 (0.03%) | 0 | 0 |
| bilateral incomplete palsy | 10 (0.05%) | 6 (0.05%) | 4 (0.2%) | 0 |
| Hypocalcemia with Ca substitution at discharge # | ||||
| yes | 1965 (15.3%) | 1360 (15%) | 263 (28.4%) $ | 342 (11.9%) |
| no | 10,923 (84.7%) | 7709 (85%) | 662 (71.6%) | 2552 (88.1%) |
| Reop. for bleeding | 180 (1.4%) | 104 (1.4%) | 12 (1.7%) | 20 (1.4%) |
| Reop. for wound infection | 10 (0.07%) | 5 (0.6%) | 1 (0.1%) | 0 |
| Reop. for other reasons (e.g., lymphatic fistula) | 6 (0.04%) | 5 (0.06%) | 0 | 1 (0.07%) |
* vocal cord immobility was defined as paralysis; impaired but notable vocal cord movement was defined as incomplete palsy. RLN—recurrent laryngeal nerve; Ca—calcium; Reop—reoperation; # postoperative hypoparathyroidism was defined at intact PTH <15 pg/L and serum calcium at <2.1 mmol/L. $ p < 0.05 Graves’ disease compared to multinodular goitre and other entities combined.