Surgical Treatment of Retrosternal Goitre

Tracheomalacia after thyroidectomy for retrosternal goitres requiring sternotomy- a myth or reality?

INTRODUCTION

Tracheomalacia after thyroidectomy is not well understood. Reports on tracheomalacia are conflicting, with some suggesting a high rate and other large cohorts in which no tracheomalacia is reported. The aim of our study was to assess the incidence and factors associated with tracheomalacia after thyroidectomy in patients with retrosternal goitres requiring sternotomy at a high-volume tertiary care referral centre.

METHODS

A longitudinal cohort study was conducted from January 2011 to December 2019. All adult patients who underwent thyroidectomy with sternotomy were included. Tracheomalacia was considered when tracheal rings were soft compared with other parts (proximal or distal) of the trachea and required either tracheostomy or resection with anastomosis. The decision to perform a tracheostomy or to administer continuous or bilevel positive airway pressure postoperatively was made depending on the degree of tracheomalacia. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors associated with tracheomalacia.

RESULTS

We evaluated 40 patients who underwent thyroidectomy with sternotomy. The mean age of our cohort was 48.7 ± 11.3 years and the population was predominantly female (67.5%). One patient required tracheal resection with anastomosis, and two patients required tracheostomy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis did not reveal any patient- or thyroid-related factor significantly associated with the development of tracheomalacia in our cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of tracheomalacia after thyroidectomy with sternotomy appears to be very low. However, the occurrence of tracheomalacia after thyroidectomy in cases of large goitre is possible and hence worrisome.

Sutureless Total Thyroidectomy for Substernal Goiter: Amending Versus Unnecessary

Substernal goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland, harboring a component extending into the mediastinum. Surgical management requires genuine and rigorous preoperative planning as physicians could encounter the prospect of the gland coming into close quarters with the vital intrathoracic structures. The neck and chest multiplanar cross-sectional imaging provide essentialness of an extracervical approach for the procedure. In the present study, a 57-year-old female who admitted with the intermittent dyspnea and dysphagia with a huge goiter is reported. The labs were reported within the normal limits and the video laryngoscopy displayed no pathologic finding. Her neck sonography revealed the multiple nodules within the gland, without determining the most proximal border of the left lobe. The neck and chest computed tomography depicted a substernal goiter harboring the left lobe, extending till the left innominate vein and a sutureless total thyroidectomy by the collar incision without a median sternotomy was performed. We would recommend sutureless thyroidectomy for substernal goiter just considering to divide meticulously the superior thyroid arteries and veins separately and exploring the fibrous Ligament of Berry, that is, the true Ligament of Berry, with its safe relationship to the recurrent laryngeal nerve in Thyroidology.

Retrosternal goiter in thoracic surgical practice

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate and optimize surgical approaches to the management of retrosternal goiter.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cohort retrospective single-center study included 56 patients aged 68.3±9.8 years with retrosternal goiter who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2019. Right-sided goiter was diagnosed in 16 cases, left-sided goiter in 21 patients, bilateral goiter in 19 patients. Palpable neck mass was found in 17 (30.4%), stridor in 16 (28.6%), thyrotoxicosis in 4 (7.1%) and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in 2 (3.6%) cases. X-ray signs of tracheal compression were detected in 43 (76.8%) patients, deviation in 26 (46.4%) patients. Resection through cervical collar incision was performed in 40 (71.4%) patients. Additional sternotomy was required in 11 (19.6%) patients, 1 (1.8%) patient required collar incision and right anterior mediastinotomy. Right-sided posterolateral thoracotomy without collar incision was performed in 1 (1.8%) patient with a suspected mediastinal teratoma. Three patients underwent median sternotomy only because of preoperative diagnosis of teratoma in one and thymoma in two patients.

RESULTS

There was no perioperative mortality. Transient vocal changes occurred in 3 (5.4%) patients, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in 3 (5.4%), atrial fibrillation in 2 (3.6%), wound complications in 2 (3.6%), left phrenic nerve palsy in 1 (1.8%), transient hypocalcaemia in 1 (1.8%) and persistent hypothyroidism in 1 (1.8%) patient. Hospital-stay ranged from 2 to 12 (5.5±2.0) days. Multinodular goiter was found in 53 (94.6%) patients, diffuse goiter in 1 (1.8%), ectopic thyroid in 1 (1.8%) and oncocytic tumor in 1 (1.8%) patient. One (1.8%) patient underwent simultaneous resection of RSG via a collar incision and right-sided VATS upper lobectomy for primary lung cancer. One (1.8%) patient also underwent simultaneous resection of RSG via collar incision and right-sided VATS subcarinal lymph node biopsy for coexistent lymphoma. Mean vertical length of goiter in the collar incision group was 7.6 cm compared to 10.6 cm in the sternotomy group. Mean weight of specimens was 162.3 g in patients with collar incisions and 312.5 g in the sternotomy group. Sternotomy was required in 14 (25%) patients.

CONCLUSION

Resection of retrosternal goiter is more commonly performed via cervical collar incision with mandatory availability of sternotomy. Radiological measurement of craniocaudal length may predict the need for sternotomy. Surgical outcomes are not affected by surgical approach. Simultaneous thoracic interventions for a coexistent pathology in patients with RSG may be considered. Further research of minimally invasive interventions for RSG resection is required.

Clinical Presentation and Surgical Treatment of Retrosternal Goiter: A Case Series Study

Background: The retrosternal goiter (RSG) is a slow-growing mass often benign in nature; thyroidectomy remains the preferred standard curative treatment. This study aimed to explore the local experience of RSG with respect to the clinical presentation, classifications, management, and outcomes. Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted to include all cases diagnosed with RSG and underwent thyroidectomy between January 1998 and December 2013. Results: A total of 1210 patients underwent thyroidectomy; of which 30 (2.5%) patients were diagnosed to have RSG. The commonly reported symptoms were dyspnea (40%), pain and discomfort (30%), dysphagia (26.7%), and hoarseness (20%). Thirteen patients (43.3%) were completely asymptomatic. The fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed in 22 (73.3%) patients, of whom the majority was benign (77.3%). The grading classification showed that grade 1 is the most frequent (73.3%). Total bilateral thyroidectomy was the most prevailing procedure in 57% cases followed by partial thyroidectomy. All patients underwent retrosternal thyroidectomy through a cervical incision except for one case. Postoperative histopathology showed frequent benign multinodular goiter (83.3%), followed by papillary thyroid cancer (10%) and thyroiditis (6.7%). The most common complication after thyroidectomy was tracheomalacia (13.4%), transient hypocalcemia (10%), and hypoparathyroidism (6.7%). There was no intraoperative or perioperative mortality. Conclusion: RSG is a rare entity often presented with pressure symptoms, mostly involving anterior mediastinum and had a challenging surgical procedure. A large multicenter study is needed to include more cases in order to have a consensus on the definition and classification system for such important clinical goiter presentation.