Drainage after thyroid surgery is widely used to prevent postoperaive complications by evacuation of blood and fluids. However, the question of routine wound drainage after thyroid surgery remains controversial among experienced surgeons. And
review of
the literature failed to reveal any study that established the benefit of drainage after thyroid surgery. Therefore, we performed a prospective, randomized study on the rate of complications after drainage of no drainage in thyroid surgery. We
experienced 131 cases of drainage and 123 cases of no drainage after thyroid surgery(Total, 254 cases) from January 1992 to December 1994.
No difference was seen between the two groups according to the experience of the surgeon, type of operation, diagnosis, size of thyroid nodule. All complications were recorded and resulted in 15 cases(11.3%) with drainage and 10cases(8.1%)
without
drain
age, complications were edema in 7cases(5.3%), seroma in 2 cases(1.5%), hematoma in 2cases(1.5%), wound infection in 2cases(1.5%), treansient hypocalcemia in 2cases(1.5%) in drainage group, and edema in 6cases(4.9%), seroma in 2cases(1.6%),
hematoma in
2 cases(1.6%) in no drainage group. No difference was seen between the groups.
This study does not support prophylactc routine drainage after uncomplicated thyroid surgery.
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