Abstract

Objective:
This study aimed to compare the thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) recurrence between pediatric and adult patients and identified risk factors following the Sistrunk procedure at King Fahad University Hospital (KFUH).
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 45 patients who underwent the Sistrunk procedure at KFUH and completed a 12-month follow-up between 1986 and 2013. Their demographic data, pre-operative presentation, diagnosis, cyst characteristics, type of surgery, surgeon specialty, pre-, intra-, and post-operative intervention, and early complications (infection, hematoma, and recurrence), time to recurrence, mode of recurrence, pathology, and malignancy were all collected and analyzed.
Results:
The mean±SD age of all patients was 16.78 ± 12.160 years; 64.4% were male, and 73.3% were Saudi. A neck mass was the most common presentation (68.9%), and thyroid cyst was the most frequent diagnosis (73.3%). Most cysts were midline (93.3%) and mobile (86.5%). Recurrence and post-operative infection occurred equally in eight cases (4 cases each). Recurrence was 3.3% in pediatric patients and 20% in adults. Intra-operative drain insertion (p-value=0.040) and post-operative infection (p-value=0.001) were significantly associated with recurrence.
Conclusion:
Recurrence of TGDC impacted adults more than children. Although the Sistrunk procedure remains effective for TGDC, the likelihood of recurrence showed a statistically significant association with the use of intraoperative drains and the occurrence of postoperative infections.

Key words: Thyroglossal duct cyst, Sistrunk, recurrence, risk factors, infection