Clinical effect of low-power electrocautery skin incision combined with subcutaneous plastic tension-reducing suture in alleviating neck scars from open thyroid surgery
CAO Yunkai
LIU Ziqi
OU Keru
TAN Yuemei
HE Yangyang
HONG Yong
Abstract：Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of low-power electrocautery skin incision combined with subcutaneous plastic tension-reducing suture in reducing neck scars in open thyroid surgery.Methods A total of 383 pa-tients who underwent open thyroid surgery were selected.According to different surgical instruments and suture methods,they were divided into three groups:groups A,B,and C.Group A consisted of 126 cases,and traditional surgical blades were used for skin incision followed by traditional subcutaneous interrupted sutures.Group B had 132 cases,and low-pow-er electrocautery was used for skin incision followed by traditional subcutaneous interrupted sutures.Group C included 125 cases,and low-power electrocautery was used for skin incision followed by postoperative subcutaneous plastic tension-re-ducing sutures.We compared the perioperative indicators[operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drain-age volume,hospital stay,and pain visual analog scale(VAS)scores at 12 and 36 hours after operation],and incision complication status(incision infection,subcutaneous fluid collection or hematoma,incision fat liquefaction,etc.).At 1,6,and 12 months after operation,the Vancouver Scar Scale(VSS)and Patient Scar Assessment Scale(PSAS)were used to evaluate the degree of neck scars.Results There were no statistically significant differences in the operative time,in-traoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,VAS scores at 12 and 36 h after operation,or hospital stay dura-tion(all P>0.05).The incidence rates of postoperative incision complications such as incision infection,subcutaneous he-matoma,and fat liquefaction were not statistically different among the three groups(all P>0.05).The VSS and PSAS scores at 1,6,and 12 months after operation gradually decreased in all three groups(all P<0.05);the VSS and PSAS scores at 1,6,and 12 months after operation in the group C were lower than those in the groups A and B at the same time points(all P<0.05).Conclusion Low-power electrocautery skin incision combined with subcutaneous plastic tension-relieving suture can reduce the neck scar of open thyroid surgery,the method is simple and easy,with high safety,and is worthy of clinical application and promotion.
Keywords：thyroid surgeryneck scarlow-power electric scalpelsubcutaneous plastic tension-relieving suture
Publication Date：2025-02-28
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 51-55 )