Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia and Pre-operative Vitamin D Levels

Background: Post-operative transient hypocalcemia is a common event after total thyroidectomy. It may reveal permanent hypoparathyroidism following total or subtotal thyroidectomy. It has been hypothesized that there is a relationship between underlying vitamin D deficiency and the risk of post-operative hypocalcemia.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional review on 100 thyroidectomies from 2016 at an academic teaching hospital. Pre-operative vitamin D levels and post-operative calcium level were obtained. The incidence of hypocalcemic symptoms was studied. Biochemical hypocalcemia was defined as any single post-operative corrected calcium level < 8.0 mg/dl (to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.25).Results: Post-operative calcemia < 8.0 mg/dl was observed in 19 patients (19%). We found that the patients carried a high risk for post-operative transient biochemical hypocalcemia if the pre-operative serum vitamin D levels ˂ 35 nmol/l. There was a significant differentiation between mean of vitamin D levels in hypocalcemic group and normocalcemic group.Conclusions: Pre-operative vitamin D levels appear to have a significant effect on the risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.© 2014 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.Citation: Khazaii A, Ramazani M. Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia and Pre-operative Vitamin D Levels. Acad J Surg, 2016; 3(3-4): 54-7.

Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia and Pre-operative Vitamin D Levels Keywords:

Hypocalcemia , Vitamin D levels , Hypoparathyroidism , Thyroidectomy