Management of endocrine surgical disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: expert opinion for non-surgical options
Orhan Agcaoglu, Serdar Tezelman, Atakan Sezer, Ozer Makay, Murat Faik Erdogan, Fahri Bayram, Sibel Guldiken, Mehmet Celik, Marco Raffaelli, Alper Sonmez, Yong-Sang Lee, Seokmo Kim, Kyriakos Vamvakidis, Radu Mihai, Quan-Yang Duh, Baris Akinci, Faruk Alagol, Oguzhan Deyneli, D. Yazici, Martin Almquist, Marcin Barczynski, T Bayraktaroglu, Eren Berber, Yusuf Bukey, Serkan Teksoz, GK Çakmak, Ali Ugur Emre, N. Zafer Canturk, Z. Canturk, O. Celik, Sergii Cherenko, Thomas Clerici, David Scott Coombes, Orhan Demircan, Gianlorenzo Dionigi, Ali Ilker Filiz, Abut Kebudi, Hulya Iliksu Gozu, Sibel Ozkan Gurdal, Gunay Gurleyik, Mehmet Haciyanli, Giannis Koutelidakis, Bekir Kuru, Meral Mert, Guzide Gonca Oruk, Fausto Palazzo, Rumen Pandev, Phillip Riss, Tevfik Sabuncu, Ibrahim Sahin, Gurhan Sakman, Fusun Saygili, Yasemin Giles Senyurek, Fatih Tunca, Ilya Sleptsov, Sam Van Slycke, Tarik Terzioglu, M. U. Ugurlu, Mehmet Uludag, Jesus Villar-del-Moral, Menno Vriens, B. O. Ceyhan, Yesim Erbil, Serdar Ozbas
article (Uluslararası, Hakemli) | Yazar(lar): Orhan Agcaoglu, Serdar Tezelman, Atakan Sezer, Ozer Makay, Murat Faik Erdogan, Fahri Bayram, Sibel Guldiken, Mehmet Celik, Marco Raffaelli, Alper Sonmez, Yong-Sang Lee, Seokmo Kim, Kyriakos Vamvakidis, Radu Mihai, Quan-Yang Duh, Baris Akinci, Faruk Alagol, Oguzhan Deyneli,
Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented conditions for overall health care systems by restricting resources for non-COVID-19 patients. As the burden of the disease escalates, routine elective surgeries are being cancelled. The aim of this paper was to provide a guideline for management of endocrine surgical disorders during a pandemic. Methods We used Delphi method with a nine-scale Likert scale on two rounds of voting involving 64 experienced eminent surgeons and endocrinologists who had the necessary experience to provide insight on endocrine disorder management. All voting was done by email using a standard questionnaire. Results Overall, 37 recommendations were voted on. In two rounds, all recommendations reached an agreement and were either endorsed or rejected. Endorsed statements include dietary change in primary hyperparathyroidism, Cinacalcet treatment in secondary hyperparathyroidism, alpha-blocker administration for pheochromocytoma, methimazole +/- beta-blocker combination for Graves' disease, and follow-up for fine-needle aspiration results of thyroid nodules indicated as Bethesda 3-4 cytological results and papillary microcarcinoma. Conclusion This survey summarizes expert opinion for the management of endocrine surgical conditions during unprecedented times when access to surgical treatment is severely disrupted. The statements are not applicable in circumstances in which surgical treatment is possible.