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Thyroid surgery in pediatric age: a 10-year experience at a single center and literature review

  • Orhan Asya , Ali Cemal Yumusakhuylu , Yavuz Gundogdu , Omer Faruk Kuyumcu EMAIL logo , Serap Turan ORCID logo , Tulay Guran , Busra Gurpinar Tosun and Cagatay Oysu
Published/Copyright: January 6, 2025

Abstract

Objectives

Surgery interventions for thyroid disorders are rare in pediatric population. This study aims to present our institution’s 10-year experience regarding the surgical treatment and outcomes of thyroid pathologies in children and review the literature.

Methods

All pediatric patients who underwent thyroid surgery at our institution from April 2013 to October 2023 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

The study included 57 patients with a median age of 15 years. 38 patients (66.6 %) were female, and 19 patients (33.3 %) were male. The most common indication for thyroid surgery was a nodule (71.9 %), followed by Graves’ disease (10.5 %), multinodular goiter (8.7 %), and familial multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome (8.7 %). Of the 57 patients, 36 (63.2 %) were diagnosed with thyroid neoplasia, with 28 (77.8 %) having papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), three (8.3 %) having medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), two (5.6 %) having follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). Temporary unilateral vocal cord paralysis and permanent unilateral vocal cord paralysis were seen in three patients (5.3 %) and in two patients (3.5 %) respectively. Persistent hypocalcemia and permanent hypoparathyroidism were noted in two patients (3.5 %), while transient hypocalcemia was observed in 13 patients (22.8 %). The presence of neoplasm did not appear to be associated with the incidence of hypocalcemia or vocal cord paralysis (p=0.115 and 0.652, respectively).

Conclusions

Thyroid pathologies in pediatric patients necessitate a multidisciplinary approach. Surgical management should be carefully evaluated in accordance with pediatric guidelines. Complication rate significantly decreases when surgery is performed by experienced surgeon.


Corresponding author: Omer Faruk Kuyumcu, Department of Otolaryngology, Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Marmara University, Esenler Mahallesi, Yasar Dogu Caddesi, No: 49, 34890, Pendik, Istanbul, Türkiye, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

We thank the medical and surgical teams involved in the patients’ care for their expertise and dedication during the surgical procedure and follow-up. Every member of author team had contributions on study concept and design, data acquisition, analysis and data interpretation, drafting of the manuscript, critical revision.

  1. Research ethics: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

  2. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  3. Author contributions: Each member of the team of authors was involved in the conception and design of the study, data collection, analysis and interpretation, drafting of the manuscript and critical revision. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-09-29
Accepted: 2024-12-25
Published Online: 2025-01-06
Published in Print: 2025-03-26

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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