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Evaluation of the validity and reliability of a self-assessment questionnaire for cosmetic outcomes after thyroidectomy: a cross-sectional validation study

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Abstract

Purpose

The Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Cosmetic Outcomes (SAQCO) was developed by us to evaluate the cosmetic outcome of patients after thyroidectomy. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of SAQCO.

Methods

We analyzed the cosmetic outcomes of 368 patients who underwent thyroidectomy and completed the SAQCO 1 year after surgery. The one-dimensionality, reliability, and validity of SAQCO were assessed using factor analysis models, Cronbach’s alpha, and test–retest statistics. The differences in cosmesis indices between patient characteristics and surgical parameters were analyzed through comparative and regression analyses.

Results

The unidimensional convergence of SAQCO was examined. A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91, strong item-total correlation values (from 0.77 to 0.89), and a test–retest correlation value of 0.86 indicated the internal consistency and reliability of the SAQCO. The cosmesis index was significantly highest in the transoral (92.3 points) and transaxillary groups (90.9 points), followed by the postauricular (84.8 points) and transcervical groups (76.4 points).

Conclusion

This study examined the reliability and validity of the SAQCO and showed that it is a suitable questionnaire for assessing cosmetic satisfaction of patients after thyroidectomy. The transoral and transaxillary approaches yield significantly superior cosmetic results compared to the conventional transcervical and postauricular approaches.

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Data availability

Most of the data used in the study are included in this article. Additional data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This study received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea

    Van Cuong Nguyen, Chang Myeon Song, Yong Bae Ji, Jin Hyeok Jeong & Kyung Tae

  2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, 42472, Republic of Korea

    Dong Won Lee

Authors
  1. Van Cuong Nguyen
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  2. Chang Myeon Song
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  3. Yong Bae Ji
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  4. Dong Won Lee
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  5. Jin Hyeok Jeong
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  6. Kyung Tae
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyung Tae.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Hanyang University Hospital (approval number 2023-07-012).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.

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Nguyen, V.C., Song, C.M., Ji, Y.B. et al. Evaluation of the validity and reliability of a self-assessment questionnaire for cosmetic outcomes after thyroidectomy: a cross-sectional validation study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 281, 1505–1513 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-08395-x

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