Recurrence of nontoxic goitre with and without postoperative thyroxine medication.

The incidence of postoperative recurrence of nontoxic goitre was evaluated in 175 patients. The average observation period was 8.8 years. Levothyroxine (Eltroxin) had been taken by 104 of these patients as long-term prophylaxis against goitre recurrence. Ten (9.5%) of the 104 had recurrence. The other 71 patients received no or only brief thyroxine medication postoperatively. In this group there were eight recurrences (11.3%). The difference was not significant, nor did the two groups differ significantly in regard to sex and age distribution, pathologic anatomy and observation time. Routine long-term administration of thyroxine after thyroid resection is not justified from the results of this study.