Two-Stage Thyroidectomy Driven by Intraoperative Neuromonitoring: Informed Consent Process and Its Effect on Patient Willingness and Consent Rates

Purpose: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is a useful technique that can be applied to assess the nerve functionality at the end of the first side lobectomy in a planned total resection to prevent the bilateral injury of the RLN. Here we describe the process of informed consent of patients, who were subjected to a 2-stage thyroidectomy, and its effect on the patients' willingness to be operated on as well as their consent rates. Methods: A retrospective observational study of patients, undergoing thyroidectomy with standardized IONM, was conducted from January 2019 to December 2019. All patients were preoperatively informed about the possibility o…