Hypocalcemia following thyroidectomy : a prospective study in Basrah, Iraq

Abstract EN

This study aimed to find out the frequency of hypocalcemia in different thyroid procedures and the risk factors for its development.

One hundred thirty six patients underwent different thyroid surgeries for different thyroid diseases in the Surgical and Otolaryngology Departments of Basrah Teaching Hospital for three years from July 2016 to July 2019.

Patients mean age was 34.

8±7.

5 years (range: 18-65 years).

Male to Female ratio was 2: 5.

Of the total 136 patients, 35 patients underwent isthmusectomy and lobectomy, no case of hypocalcemia was reported (0%).

Out of 71 patients who underwent sub-total thyroidectomy, three of them developed hypocalcemia (4.

2 %).

Out of 30 patients who underwent near-total or total thyroidectomy, nine of them developed hypocalcemia (30%).

Whether the inferior thyroid artery was ligated or not, there was no significant difference in the development of hypocalcemia.

Of the total 136 patients, 129 patients had benign pathology, 9 of them developed hypocalcemia (6.

9 %); 7 patients had malignant pathology; 3 of them developed hypocalcemia (42.

8%).

In conclusion, the frequency of hypocalcemia is correlated with the extent of thyroid resection; and it is more in malignant lesions but in most of the patients it was transient.