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CompletedNCT07575243Updated May 12, 2026

Thyroidectomy-specific Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol

An observational study in Thyroid Diseases, Goiter and Thyroid Neoplasms, sponsored by Assiut University. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-12.

Sponsored by Assiut University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
143
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Thyroidectomy is generally considered a low-to-moderate risk operation; however, postoperative pain, nausea/vomiting, and prolonged hospital stays remain common issues. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways aim to optimize perioperative care and accelerate recovery. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of a standardized ERAS pathway in patients undergoing elective thyroidectomy. The prospective ERAS cohort is compared with a historical control group receiving conventional care to assess the impact on the length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and complication rates.

02

Conditions studied

  • Thyroid Diseases
  • Goiter
  • Thyroid Neoplasms

Keywords

  • Enhanced recovery after surgery
  • ERAS
  • Multimodal perioperative care
  • Length of hospital stay
  • Thyroidectomy
  • Opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients scheduled for elective thyroidectomy for benign or malignant disease at a tertiary cancer institute

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients aged 18-75 years
  • ASA physical status I-III.
  • Scheduled for elective thyroidectomy for benign or malignant disease.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Re-operative thyroid surgery
  • Concomitant neck dissection
  • Inability to comply with the ERAS pathway
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
143 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • ERAS group

    A prospective cohort undergoing elective thyroidectomy under an ERAS protocol.

    Procedure: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol

  • Control group

    A historical control cohort undergoing thyroidectomy under conventional care during the 12 months preceding ERAS implementation

    Procedure: Conventional perioperative care

Interventions

  • ProcedureEnhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol

    This incorporates standardized preoperative counseling, reduced fasting, multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia, total intravenous anesthesia, selective drain use, early oral intake and mobilization, and PTH-guided calcium supplementation

    Also known as: ERAS

  • ProcedureConventional perioperative care

    This often involves prolonged preoperative fasting, opioid-based analgesia, and delayed mobilization

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Length of hospital stay

    Hours from surgery end to discharge

    Time frame: Up to 30 days post-surgery

Secondary outcomes

  1. Postoperative pain scores

    Mean Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11; 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain) at rest in 24 hours. NRS scores are categorized as mild (1-3), moderate (4-6), or severe (7-10).

    Time frame: Assessed in the first 24 hours postoperatively

  2. Total opioid consumption

    Oral Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME)

    Time frame: Within first 24 hours

  3. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)

    Incidence of PONV

    Time frame: Up to 24 hours postoperatively

  4. Rate of postoperative hypocalcemia

    Biochemical and symptomatic occurrences

    Time frame: First 30 days from the surgery

  5. 30-day unplanned readmission rate

    Number of unplanned readmissions

    Time frame: Up to 30 days postoperative

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Surgical Oncology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University
    Asyut, Asyut Governorate 71516, Egypt
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Althans AR, Holder-Murray J, Tessler RA. The Future of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery-Precision vs Protocol. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jun 3;7(6):e2418968. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18968. No abstract available. PubMed 38888927 ↗
  • Sauro KM, Smith C, Ibadin S, Thomas A, Ganshorn H, Bakunda L, Bajgain B, Bisch SP, Nelson G. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Guidelines and Hospital Length of Stay, Readmission, Complications, and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jun 3;7(6):e2417310. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17310. PubMed 38888922 ↗
  • Simpson JC, Bao X, Agarwala A. Pain Management in Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocols. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2019 Mar;32(2):121-128. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1676477. Epub 2019 Feb 28. PubMed 30833861 ↗
  • Machado N, Mortlock R, Maduka R, Souza Cunha AE, Dyer E, Long A, Canner JK, Tanella A, Gibson C, Hyman J, Ogilvie J. Early observations with an ERAS pathway for thyroid and parathyroid surgery: Moving the goalposts forward. Surgery. 2024 Jan;175(1):114-120. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2023.06.052. Epub 2023 Nov 15. PubMed 37973430 ↗
  • Lee DJ, Chin CJ, Hong CJ, Perera S, Witterick IJ. Outpatient versus inpatient thyroidectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Head Neck. 2018 Jan;40(1):192-202. doi: 10.1002/hed.24934. Epub 2017 Nov 9. PubMed 29120517 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07575243
Lead sponsor
Assiut University
Responsible party
Mohamed I Omar (MD, Surgical Oncology Department, Assiut University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 8, 2026
Start date
May 1, 2024
Primary completion
May 31, 2025
Completion
May 31, 2025
Last update
May 12, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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