# Local and Loco-Regional Anesthesia in Patients Who Underwent Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

## TL;DR

This review examines the use of regional anesthesia in thyroid and parathyroid surgeries, finding that combining it with general anesthesia reduces opioid use and postoperative nausea.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comparative analysis of loco-regional anesthesia with and without general anesthesia in thyroid and parathyroid surgeries.

## Key findings

- LRA combined with GA is supported by better-quality studies and reduces opioid use and postoperative nausea.
- LRA without GA is feasible in some cases, including patients with severe systemic disease, but needs more validation.
- Few controlled studies exist on LRA alone, highlighting a need for further research.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Globally, thyroid and parathyroid diseases are common and often require surgery. This review evaluates the current literature on the use of regional anesthesia in these surgeries, highlighting its advantages, limitations, and areas requiring further research. Methods: MEDLINE (via PubMed) and ResearchGate, the largest academic social networks, were utilized to retrieve literature on the topic. Results: Fifteen studies with few patients and largely uncontrolled on the use of loco-regional anesthesia (LRA) not combined with general anesthesia (GA) were found. Meanwhile, twenty-two better quality studies involving several patients on LRA combined GA were found. Conclusions: LRA, in combination with GA, has been proven to be the most reliable evidence for reducing opioid use and postoperative nausea and vomiting. LRA, not combined with GA, has been used in a few well-conducted studies; it seems to be feasible to use even in patients with severe systemic disease. Future controlled studies will need to validate its effectiveness and safety.