INTRODUCTION: the thyroidectomy, although a common procedure in surgical practice, is not without risks. The postoperative complications may occur more frequently in patients with anatomical variations, such as goiters in large volume. This disease is common in the Amazon due to their socioeconomic and cultural characteristics. OBJECTIVE: To describe the postoperative complications in thyroid surgery, comparing the types and rates of complications of partial and total thyroidectomy. METHODS: A retrospective study with analysis of records of 514 patients who underwent thyroidectomy between 1978 and 2010 in a service of Otolaryngology and Cervico-facial of Manaus. RESULTS: Of the 514 patients, 294 (57.19%) underwent total thyroidectomy and 220 (42.8%) a partial. The pathologies found in histopathological examination of the postoperative period were: goiter (53.8%), malignant tumors (30.8%), benign tumors (7.7%), Graves' disease (7.7%) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (3.8%). The frequency of complications was 5.1% (95% CI, 3.4 to 7.4%). The most common complications were related to lesion of the laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands. There were complications in 3.2% of partial thyroidectomy, against 6.5% in total (p = 0.089). There was no statistically significant difference for the occurrence of nerve damage, endocrine, vascular or other in the total and partial thyroidectomy. CONCLUSION: In an indication for surgical treatment of thyroid gland, is still questionable whether the adoption of non-total thyroidectomy, the nature of the lesion is benign or malignant.