Aftereffects of thyroid side removal

The sequelae of unilateral thyroidectomy may cause mainly acute sequelae or chronic sequelae. First, it may generally lead to acute postoperative complications, such as laryngeal bleeding compressing the airway and causing asphyxia. Secondly, choking caused by damage to the medial branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, such as sudden choking reaction when drinking or swallowing, or damage to the lateral superior laryngeal nerve, which manifests as vocal cord relaxation, and symptoms such as hoarseness and vocal weakness. In addition, there is also the possibility of intraoperative compression or pulling on the recurrent laryngeal nerve, resulting in damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and postoperative sequelae such as hoarseness, coughing effort, and difficulty in swallowing. In addition, the chronic sequelae that may occur in some patients are hypothyroidism, which mainly manifests as fear of cold, stomach chill, weakness of the limbs, reduced peristaltic function of the gastrointestinal tract, constipation, body swelling, loss of libido, and local skin pigmentation.