Langenbeck's archives of surgery
-
Langenbecks Arch Surg · Jun 2019
Effect of surgeons' annual operative volume on the risk of permanent Hypoparathyroidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and Haematoma following thyroidectomy: analysis of United Kingdom registry of endocrine and thyroid surgery (UKRETS).
Categorize data to investigate the surgeon volume outcome relationship in thyroidectomies. Determine the evidence base for recommending a minimum number of thyroidectomies performed per year to maintain surgical competency. ⋯ Surgeon annual operative volume is a factor in determining outcome from thyroid surgery. Results are limited by a high proportion of missing data, which could potentially bias the outcome, but tentatively suggests the minimum recommended number of thyroid operations / year should be 50 cases.