It is widely accepted that thyroid surgery is not without morbidity. One well-known postoperative complication is respiratory distress. The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine the incidence of post-thyroidectomy respiratory complications and to identify possible predictive factors. The study population was made up of 262 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy for goit...

Retrosternal (intrathoracic) goiter has a prevalence of 4 to 20% of patients undergoing thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter. Although it is a condition affecting the older patient with a peak incidence in the sixth decade, the majority should be treated surgically. With few exceptions the operation can be safely accomplished through a cervical approach, only a small minority (approximately 2%...