Thyroid surgery in the elderly

Surgeons across all specialties often hesitate to operate on elder and geriatric patients due to concern for an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Fortunately, the majority of research demonstrates that performing thyroid surgery in the elderly is safe. The most common indications for thyroid surgery in the elderly include malignancy, multinodular goiters with compressive symptoms, and thyrotoxicosis. Though some debate exists, most studies demonstrate that once comorbidities are properly addressed prior to surgery, the complication rates of thyroid surgery in the elderly are comparable to those of younger patients. Preoperative planning in the elder patient should take into consideration a more challenging thyroid exposure due to anatomical and histological age-related alterations. Overall, age alone is not a contraindication to performing thyroid surgery in the elderly.