Day-case thyroid surgery

Abstract

In 2000 the National Health Service in England set the target that 75 per cent of all elective surgical procedures should be undertaken on an outpatient basis 1 . Given the usually limited physiological insult and good analgesic control achievable, thyroidectomy appears a suitable addition to the list of recommended daycase procedures. With the arrival of haemostatic technologies that allow bloodless thyroid surgery and anaesthetic techniques that minimize postoperative hangover, the argument in favour of day-case thyroidectomy seems overwhelming.