Hypocalcemia Following Total Thyroidectomy

Aim: Hypocalcemia following total thyroidectomy is one of the clinically relevant complication for clinicians. In this study, we examined the factors associated with development of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. Material and Method: We studied gender, age, preoperative diagnosis, operative time, hormonal status, existence of parathyroid gland injury at the operation, parathyroid gland auto-transplantation, amount of bleeding at the operation and preoperative use of antithyroid drugs with the patients. In the first day after operation serum phosphor, calcium, parathyroid hormone levels were obtained. In the second day, phosphor and calcium were measured. The chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Logistic regression model was used to define the risk of hypocalcemia in the univariate analysis. Results: Hypocalcemia were observed in 56 of 200 patients. Female gender, preoperative diagnosis of toxic nodular goitre, and of thyroid cancer, parathyroid injury, nodule size <3cm, and auto-transplantation were found to be associated with hypocalcemia in logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: The risk factors related with hypocalcemia were found to be gender, parathyroid gland injury, preoperative diagnosis, nodule size, D vitamin deficiency. Hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy seems to be a multifactorial problem with a rich spectrum of aetiology