Objective: To analyse morbidity after completion total thyroidectomy compared with primary total thyroidectomy in a specialist thyroid surgery centre.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary referral hospital, India.

Patients: Medical records of 143 patients who had total thyroidectomy between January 1990 and December 1999. 95 had primary thyroidectomies and 48 were completion thyroidectomies.

Main outcome measures: Complication rate in both groups.

Results: The groups were comparable in respect of clinicopathological variables. Residual tumour was found in 19/48 (40%). After completion thyroidectomy, transient hypoparathyroidism and transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were recorded in 8/48 (17%) and 2/48 (4%), respectively. No permanent hypoparathyroidism or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was recorded in the completion thyroidectomy group.

Conclusions: Completion thyroidectomy can be done with acceptable morbidity in a specialist thyroid surgery centre. Fear of increased morbidity after the procedure should not deter surgeon from doing this operation or referring the patients to a specialist centre.