In the course of 26 years at the 3o Surgical Department of University of Rome "La Sapienza" 6,009 patients with thyroid diseases were operated on since 1970 through September 1995. There were 3,473 goiters and in 373 of them a carcinoma was found. The great majority of patients with goiter was treated by subtotal thyroidectomy. Total thyroidectomy was performed in the 373 patients with thyroid cancer and in diffuse nodular goiters interesting the whole gland. No perioperative mortality is reported. No recurrent laryngeal nerve iatrogenic palsy was observed. The incidence of temporary hypoparthyroidism had a percentage of 10% after total thyroidectomy and of 0.1% after unilateral lobectomy plus istmectomy or bilateral subtotal resections.