Total Thyroidectomy Versus Partial Thyroidectomy for Non-Toxic Multinodular Goiter: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Thyroid follicular nodular disease (non-toxic multinodular goiter), the commonest thyroid disorder, can be managed with different surgical methods, including total thyroidectomy (TT), near-total thyroidectomy (NTT), subtotal thyroidectomy (STT), and Dunhill operation (DO). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide an update on the role of TT versus NTT, STT, or DO in MNG concerning goiter recurrence, thyroid cancer incidence, and reported complications. We conducted a systematic literature search in Medline, EMBASE, and CENTRAL. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared TT to partial thyroidectomy (NTT, STT, or DO) in the management of multinodular goiter (MNG). The following outcomes, goiter recurrence, cancer incidence, and adverse events (hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury), were evaluated. We used the risk ratio (RR) to represent the dichotomous outcome. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the different types of partial thyroidectomy (NTT, STT, and DO). A total of 7 RCTs that included 1909 individuals were deemed eligible. TT showed significantly better results compared to PT in terms of goiter recurrence (RR = 0.05, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.13, P = 0.001; I² = 0%), whereas it showed similar results compared to PT in terms of thyroid cancer incidence (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.57, P = 0.63; I² = 0%). PT was significantly better than TT concerning transient adverse events (RR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.89, P = 0.001: I² = 63%). This meta-analysis showed that TT has a lower risk of goiter recurrence. TT is comparable to PT in terms of persistent adverse events but has a higher risk for transient adverse events.