Evaluation of the efficacy of postoperative antibiotic treatment in transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy: a prospective randomised controlled trial

This study was an open-label, randomised, controlled trial to evaluate the clinical usefulness of postoperative antibiotics given orally to patients having TOET. Patients were randomly assigned to receive amoxicillin-clavulanate 625 mg orally three times a day for a week after operation (treated group) or no antibiotics (untreated group). Fifty patients – 25 treated and 25 untreated – were enrolled. Maximum body temperature, pulse rate, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein concentrations did not differ between the two groups. Evaluation of the surgical site showed no significant differences between them. Seven patients in the treated group developed nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea compared with none in the untreated group. The results suggest that postoperative oral antibiotics are not essential after TOET. Large-scale prospective series are required to confirm this finding.
Source: British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research