Thyroidectomy-Related Dysphagia: A Systematic Literature Review.
About 25% of patients report dysphagia even before thyroidectomy, pooled across studies.
Thyroidectomy-Related Dysphagia: A Systematic Literature Review.
Dysphagia is a frequently reported symptom among patients undergoing thyroidectomy, yet its incidence, underlying mechanisms, and temporal progression remain insufficiently clarified.
The aim of the present systematic review was to synthesize the existing literature on the occurrence and evolution of swallowing disorders following thyroidectomy, without restriction regarding the extent of surgery, surgical approach, indication, or concomitant complications.
A systematic literature review, according to PRISMA guidelines, was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and SciELO, using the terms "dysphagia", "deglutition disorder", "swallowing disorder", "thyroid surgery" and "thyroidectomy" in the appropriate combinations.
Both subjective patient-reported outcomes and objective assessments were considered.
Dysphagia rates increased significantly within the first 1-2 postoperative weeks but generally declined to near preoperative levels by 2-3 months, with further improvement observed up to 4-6 months.
Dysphagia after thyroidectomy appears as a common but typically transient symptom, with the highest incidence occurring in the immediate postoperative period and a progressive return to baseline within three months.
Although most patients experience improvement, a subset may report persistent symptoms with measurable impact on quality of life.
Methodological heterogeneity, variability in symptom assessment tools, and limited long-term follow-up restrict the strength of available evidence.