ORIGINAL: Presentation and Management Outcomes of Goitres at a District Hospital in Abuja, North Central Nigeria: A 15-Year-Review

West Afr J Med . 2022 Feb 28;39(2):176-182.

Abstract

Background: The clinical and pathologic spectrums of goitres are wide. Even though Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory is within the geographic goitre bed, there is a paucity of thyroidrelated data from this region. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical presentation, management and outcomes of patients with goitre operated-on at the Department of Surgery, Asokoro District Hospital, in Abuja, Nigeria.

Methodology: This is a retrospective study involving patients managed between January 2001 and December 2015. Data were extracted from patients' medical records, operation registers, and histopathology records. Variables were; age, sex, diagnosis, types of operation performed, post-operative complications and histological findings. All patients had general anaesthesia via cuffed endotracheal intubation and the surgical technique used was skin crease transverse collar stud incision.

Results: One hundred and thirty four (134) patients were involved in the study: 124(92.5%) were females and 10(7.5%) males. Mean age was 38years±11.0SD. Seventy-seven (57.5%) patients had simple multi-nodular goitre, followed by simple left nodular goitre 20(14.9%) and simple right nodular goitre 17(12.7%). One hundred and twenty-one (90.5%) patients did not have any complications. On histologic examination, most of the lesions were multinodular goitres 60(44.8%), followed by simple nodular goitres, 23(17.2%). Follicular adenoma was the commonest neoplastic variant accounting for 12(9.1%) cases.

Conclusion: The pattern of goitres in Abuja simulates that from other parts of Nigeria and many other African countries though with fewer malignancies in the present study. The management and outcome of goitres in Asokoro District Hospital Abuja is comparable to those obtained from other centres in Nigeria. Pre-and postoperative complications were also minimal.

Keywords: Abuja; Goitres; Management Outcome; Pattern.

M E Aghahowa ^1 2, H C Onyegbutulem ^3 4, O S Bassey ⁵, S N Esomonu ⁶, K N Ezike ^7 8, R M Nwokorie ^9 10, A Ahmadu ⁹