Volume, outcomes, and quality standards in thyroid surgery: an evidence-based analysis-European Society of endocrine Surgeons (ESES) positional statement.

Continuous efforts in surgical speciality aim to improve outcome. Therefore, correlation of volume and outcome, developing subspecialization, and identification of reliable parameters to identify and measure quality in surgery gain increasing attention in the surgical community as well as in public health care systems, and by health care providers. The need to investigate these correlations in the area of endocrine surgery was identified by ESES, and thyroid surgery was chosen for this analysis of the prevalent literature with regard to outcome and volume.