Najmuddin Shabbir.
Is it essential to keep a drain after Thyroid surgery?
Pak J Surg Oct - Dec 2005;21(2):56-9.
Department of Surgery, Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi

Objective: To evaluate the necessasity of keeping a drain after thyroid surgery. Design & Duration: A randomized, prospective, control study conducted over a period of three years. Setting: Department of Surgery, Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi. Patients: 94 patients undergoing 102 thyroid surgeries. Methodology: Patients included in the study were randomly allocated to drain and non-drain group. The surgeon was informed of the group just before the closure of the wound. Ultrasonography (USG) of the neck was done on first and seventh post-operative day by the same ultrasonologist each time, to assess the amount of collection in the thyroid bed. Any swelling, change in voice, tetany and tingling sensation were also recorded. The data was analyzed using two-sample test for calculating unequal variance. Results: Both groups were evenly balanced according to age, sex, size of tumors, type of procedure performed and histopathological diagnosis. There was no significant difference in the fluid collection at the thyroid bed as assessed by USG on Day-1 and Day-7 in the two groups (p=0.313), but the hospital stay was significantly reduced in the non-drain group (p=0.007). One patient in the drain group required needle aspiration for collection in the thyroid bed. No patients in either group required re-operation for bleeding or haematoma. Conclusion: Routine drainage of thyroid bed following thyroid surgery may not be neccessary. Not draining the wound results in lesser morbidity and decreased hospital stay.

Category: Surgery
Keywords: Thyroidectomy. Hematoma. Seroma. Ultrasonography. Thyroid Gland.

Click here for Full Text Article

This article has been viewed 444 times

Submit your Research Synopsis for Free Expert analysis - Search- Feedback - Drug Index
Post and View Comments on this Article