Erschienen in:
01.09.2015 | Head and Neck
Reducing neck incision length during thyroid surgery does not improve satisfaction in patients
verfasst von:
Seok-Mo Kim, Ki Won Chun, Ho Jin Chang, Bup-Woo Kim, Yong Sang Lee, Hang-Seok Chang, Cheong Soo Park
Erschienen in:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
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Ausgabe 9/2015
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Abstract
Postoperative neck cosmesis is a major concern of patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Patients will likely be more satisfied with the long-term cosmetic appearance of smaller than larger thyroidectomy scars. We, therefore, investigated the relationship between scar length following conventional thyroid surgery and patient satisfaction. An anonymous scar-assessment questionnaire was administered to patients who underwent conventional thyroid surgery. The 2,041 patients were asked to rate their satisfaction with their scars on a ten-point Likert scale, with one being very unsatisfied and ten being very satisfied. The mean satisfaction score was significantly lower in the benign condition than in malignancy (6.9 ± 2.5 vs. 7.4 ± 2.5; p = 0.021), whereas there were no differences in satisfaction score among subgroups of patients with benign condition (p = 0.837). In patients with thyroid cancer, the mean satisfaction scores were similar among subgroups according to operation type and scar length (p = 0.820). Incision length was not associated with patient satisfaction in thyroid surgery patients and therefore may not be critical in decision making for thyroid cancer surgery.