Day surgery for thyroglossal duct cyst excision: a safe alternative

The goal of this study was to assess which factors affect length of stay in patients operated on for a thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) and whether day surgery is a safe alternative to a postoperative admission. All charts of patients with TDC excisions at one children's hospital from 1995 to 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were used as statistical tests, with p < 0.05 considered significant. One hundred children with a mean age of 6 years were operated on for TDC; 46% had day-surgery, with a median length of stay (LOS) of 4 h, and the other 54% were admitted overnight after TDC excision, with a median LOS of 24 h. Factors that significantly prolonged LOS were drain placement, start of surgery after 1 p.m., and surgery being performed by the ENT surgical service rather than the pediatric general surgery service. There was only one hospital readmission for a patient with day surgery at 36 h postoperation for wound hematoma that resolved with nonoperative treatment. Day surgery is safe for routine TDC excisions. There must be a shift in surgeons' behavior if the trend towards an increase in outpatient services for TDC excisions is to continue.