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In December 2019, the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization after rapidly spreading over the world in just a few months. All elective operations and nonemergency treatments have been postponed worldwide. However, some patients require surgical therapy as well, and the time spent waiting should not have a negative impact on the surgical outcome or disease course. Following the initial onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, instructions for proper and safe surgery for healthcare staff and patients should develop. Thyroid surgeries have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them can be postponed for a long time. Assessment of thyroid nodules recommends clinical examination, imaging studies, fine needle aspiration (FNA) and vocal cord examination. All these procedures are necessary, and sometimes they cannot be postponed. To determine the best timing, a thorough preoperative assessment should be undertaken, taking into account both oncological and anatomical features. Furthermore, COVID-19 status must be negative prior to any intervention, and hospital infrastructure must be ready to deal with the demanding situation.

Surgery of the thyroid takes place in a body part with complicated anatomy and several vital physiologic functions. Thyroidectomy is rarely associated with mortality but can be followed by significant complications, (i.e. hypoparathyroidism, hemorrhage, upper airway obstruction, laryngeal nerve injuries and thyrotoxic storm). This review aims to indicate surgical tips and techniques to sustain a low level of complications.