Randomized Controlled Trial of Preoperative Corticosteroids in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

What this Trial Is About

This research is focused on patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, specifically Graves disease or Hashimotos disease, who are scheduled for total thyroidectomy surgery. The study aims to evaluate whether a short course of corticosteroids given before surgery can reduce inflammation of the thyroid gland and make the surgery easier. This is a randomized, quadruple-blinded, phase 4 trial sponsored by Indiana University. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one group will receive a pre-operative corticosteroid regimen using Dexamethasone, while the other group will receive a placebo before their surgery. The treatment is given prior to surgery to assess its effect on thyroid inflammation and surgical difficulty. During the study, researchers will assess the difficulty of the thyroid surgery using a Thyroid Difficulty Scale on the day of surgery. Additional evaluations include measuring changes in blood flow and vascularity before surgery and on the day of surgery. Surgical complications such as transient or permanent hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy will be monitored up to six months post-operation. Quality of life and thyroid-related antibody levels will also be tracked over approximately six months to understand the treatments impact and safety.

Preoperative Corticosteroids in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease