[Mortality rate in surgery of goitre. Report on 27711 thyroid operations in the years 1949 to 1978].

This is a report on 27 711 thyroidectomies (partial and total) performed in the years 1949 to 1978 at the Empress-Elisabeth-Hospital Vienna. The patients treated comprise cases of simple goitre, recurrences, hyperthyroid and malignant goitres. Typical intra- and postoperative complications, such as air embolism, bleeding, damage to the recurrent nerves, thyrotoxic crisis, hypocalcaemia, disease of the thymus gland and postoperative malignant hyperthermia are discussed. Due to better preoperative medication and surgical technique respectively the frequency of intraoperative complications as well as thyrotoxic crises and recurrent nerve damage went down, thromboembolic complications however, increased corresponding to the increase of the mean age of patients undergoing surgery of their goitre nowadays.