536. Retrosternal Goiter - is There a Need for Thoracic Approach?

Abstract

Background: the incidence of retrosternal goiter (RSG) varies from 2% to 26% of all thyroidectomies, depending on the defining criteria. There is no clear guidelines to identify patients that require an intrathoracic approach. So, we tried to correlate, between the size and/or anatomical site of the RSG based on preoperative CT findings, and the surgical approaches used, aiming at defining those patients with RSG who are in need for thoracic approach.