Postoperative Recovery in Thyroid Surgery: Evaluating Pain, Scar Quality, and Operative Efficiency with and without Platysma Suturing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36283/ziun-pjmd14-3/012Keywords:
Thyroidectomy , Platysma Suturing, Postoperative Pain, Scar Quality, Wound Closure TimeAbstract
Background: Often, thyroid surgery requires a layered closure, involving the suturing of the platysma muscle. But, this procedure can increase the length of the surgery and the pain a patient feels afterward without obvious benefits. It is important to think about the need for this surgery to help achieve better results and better patient recovery. The intention of this study is to review the postoperative pain, appearance of the scar and the amount of time needed for wound closure when using or not using platysma suturing in thyroidectomy.
Methods: At Mayo Hospital Lahore, researchers recruited 72 patients going through thyroid surgery to take part in a randomized controlled trial January to July 2022. The patients were assigned to one of the following two groups: Group A patients had no platysma suturing, whereas Group B had it. The pain level was checked 6, 24 and 48 hours postoperatively using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). At the 6-month mark, the quality of scars was appraised with the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). We also collected data about when surgery was completed and whether any pain relief medicines were given.
Results: There were much lower pain scores for Group A throughout the procedure (p < 0.001) and a faster time to close the wound (3.86 vs. 5.86 minutes; p < 0.001). The POSAS scores did not differ significantly among the two groups (p = 0.078). It was observed that less patients from Group A asked for additional pain relief (p = 0.032).
Conclusion: Not sewing the platysma during thyroid surgery lowers the time needed for closure, reduces pain after surgery and results in comparable scarring, showing that it is a suitable simple method.
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