Thyroid Surgery Outcomes in the Obese Patient

Obesity continues to increase in prevalence among the adult population in the US. With obesity comes other comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and obstructive sleep apnea. The increased body mass index and body habitus may present specific challenges to the surgeon during thyroid surgery itself. These challenges include difficulty palpating anterior neck landmarks, shortened neck, excessive submental and upper thoracic tissue obstructing the surgical field, and thickness of structures overlying the thyroid.
Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Source Type: research