[Surgery of substernal thyroid goiter: 32 cases reported].

OBJECTIVE

To probe into the surgical approaches and operative techniques for substernal thyroid goiter.

METHOD

In the way with operating on thyroid retrosternal thyroid tumour were removed via cervical collar incision and substernal thyroid cancer was partly removed via "perpendicular" shape cervical incision and tracheotomy.

RESULT

The operations via cervical collar incision on 31 cases with substernal thyroid goiter have been carried out successfully. One thyroid cancer was partly moved via "perpendicular" shape cervical incision and tracheotomy, radiation therapy and isotope was adopted after operation, the patient survived above 5 years. Syndrome occurred in 9 cases (28.1%); recurrent laryngeal nerve were damaged in 5(15.6%), hemorrhage in 3(9.4%).

CONCLUSION

Resection via cervical collar incision for all retrosternal thyroid nodules was advised and surgery for malignancy needs to be investigated.