Inferior thyroid artery ligation in thyroid surgery

Abstract EN

Context: Thyroidectomy is a major as well as common surgery usually performed by endocrine or general surgeon.

The postoperative complications, although rare in experienced hands, have severe implications on the patients.Aim: - this study issued in Iraqi hospitals aimed to assess the effects and outcomes that result following ligation of the inferior thyroid artery during the procedure of thyroidectomy versus those which may follow thy roidectomy without ligation of this artery especially in the immediate postoperative period.Patients & Methods: in this study 30 patients presented with goiter underwent different operations done by different surgeons from Jan.

2016 to Jan.

2017.

The evaluation included the intraoperative maneuvers concerning ligation of the inferior thyroid artery during thyroidectomy whether ligation is done in continuity or by ligation-division or as temporary ligation & the effect and outcome of this step was studied in relation to the immediate postoperative complications in comparison to those without ligation of the inferior thyroid artery .Results: the immediate postoperative complications and outcome following thyroidectomy with or without ligation of the inferior thyroid artery are relatively similar and show no significant difference.Conclusion: the study results showed that no statistically significant difference was reported following thyroidectomy with ligation of the inferior thyroid artery versus those without ligation of this artery.

Actually ligation of this artery has no effect on the outcome and subsequent postoperative complications.