Thyroidectomy and cosmetic problems with scars
Løntoft, E.; Blichert-Toft, M.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 150(46): 2813-2814
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 3206690 Document Number: 306503
Seventy-nine consecutive patients who had been operated for goitre were followed-up 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively in view of development of hypertrophic scar formation. Forty-nine patients were operated for benign non-toxic goitre and 30 patients for toxic goitre. No significant difference was found between these two groups as regards age distribution, size of the goitre, the frequency of postoperative complications in the scar, length of the scar and the frequency of hypertrophic scar formation. The two groups were, therefore, assessed together. A total of 33 patients (42%) developed hypertrophic scar formation with the maximum frequency after three months. After one year, 15 (19%) still had hypertrophy of the scar. These patients were seen again on one occasion 2-5 years after operation. At this time, only five (6%) still had slight hypertrophy. No corrective treatment was considered necessary in any case. The frequency of hypertrophic scar formation was significantly greater in patients of 41 years or less. The scar problem could not be explained by the size of the goitre, the frequency of postoperative wound complications or the length of the scar. No difference could be observed as regards development of hypertrophic scar formation between two different suture materials: polyglycolacid, PGA (Dexon"S") and plain catgut, allocated at random. These data suggest that the patients should be informed about the risk of hypertrophic scarring during the first years after operation for goitre. The scar hypertrophy most frequently regresses spontaneously and corrective treatment should, therefore, be employed with restraint during the first postoperative years.