• Mehmet Üstün, Avni Can Karaca, Ihsan Birol, Gülberk Uslu, Semra Demirli Atici, and Cengiz Aydin.
• University of Health Sciences Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Izmir, Turkey.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2020 Nov 1; 66 (11): 1573-1576.

IntroductionObesity is a growing public health problem associated with many comorbid diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between body mass index and complications of thyroidectomy.MethodsPatients who underwent total thyroidectomy between January 2015 and December 2018 were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups, i.e., BMI <25 (group A) and BMI≥ 25 (group B). Demographics, operative time, and complications were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsThe study included 145 patients (66 in Group A and 79 in Group B). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (p=0.330) and gender (p=0.055). No surgical site infection and bleeding complications were observed in any patients. The mean operative time was 148.4 minutes (90-235) in Group A and 153.4 minutes (85-285) in Group B (p=0.399). Transient hypocalcemia was observed in 25 (37.9%) patients in group A, and 23 (29.1%) patients in Group B (p = 0.291). Permanent hypocalcemia was not observed in any patient in group A, and in 2 patients in Group B (2.5%) (p = 0.501). Transient recurrent nerve palsy was observed in 1 (1.5%) patient in Group A and in 3 (3.8%) patients in Group B (p=0.626). None of the patients had permanent recurrent nerve palsy. Parathyroid autotransplantation was performed on 1 patient (1.5%) in group A and on 7 (8.9%) patients in Group B (p=0.055).ConclusionWe think there is no relationship between a high BMI and thyroidectomy complications, and surgery can also be performed safely in this patient group.

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