ArticleWorld journal of surgery2012
Routine chest X-ray prior to thyroid surgery: is it always necessary?
Article in World journal of surgery, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Thyroidectomy on Tracheal Remodeling and Airway Physiology in Apparently Asymptomatic Patients with Goiter: A Prospective Study.World journal of surgery · 2023Article
- Chest X-ray Prior to Thyroidectomy: Is It Really Needed?World journal of surgery · 2018Article
- Goitre-Related Factors for Predicting Difficult Intubation in Patients Scheduled for Thyroidectomy in a Resource-Challenged Health Institution in North Central Nigeria.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2018Article
- Diagnostic value of conventional chest radiography in intrathoracic goiters-retrospective analysis of 2570 patients.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite lack of evidence-based support, chest X-ray (CXR) prior to thyroid surgery is often used to identify tracheal deviation that may predict difficulty with intubation. The aim of this study is to establish the utility of preoperative CXR to assess tracheal deviation in this group of patients.
methodsWe analyzed a prospective database of 1,000 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid surgery. Patients' charts were reviewed for demographic data, CXR readings, other imaging findings, anesthesia records, and pathology findings. Patients with tracheal deviation (TD) on CXR were compared to patients without (no TD).
resultsSix hundred eighty-nine (69 %) patients had a CXR performed prior to surgery. TD was identified in 252 (37 %) patients while 437 (63 %) did not have TD. The two groups did not significantly differ in mean age, BMI, or gender. Patients with TD on CXR had larger thyroid glands (51 ± 4 vs. 28 ± 2 g, p < 0.001) and reported a higher rate of tracheal compressive symptoms (19 vs. 12 %, p = 0.005). However, this did not translate into more difficult intubations as reported by the anesthesiologist (5 vs. 7 %, p = 0.31) or more intubation attempts (1.2 ± 0 vs. 1.1 ± 0, p = 0.1). Lung findings on CXR that resulted in further workup were identified in 32 (5 %) patients, with additional pathology found in only 6 (1 %) patients.
conclusionThere is no correlation between a finding of tracheal deviation on preoperative CXR and difficult intubation in thyroid patients. Therefore, CXR for the sole purpose of identifying tracheal deviation in thyroid surgery candidates is not warranted.
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