Abstract
Permanent hypocalcaemia is the most common and serious complication after total thyroidectomy (TT). This study examined the impact of central neck dissection (CND) and institutional volume on rates of permanent hypocalcaemia by analysing data held in the nationwide claim database of South Korea. Data from patients who underwent TT due to thyroid carcinoma from 2007-2013 were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Of these, patients prescribed more than 1000 mg of elemental calcium for more than 288 days during the first 360 days postsurgery were defined as having permanent hypocalcaemia. In total, 192 333 patients (32 988 male and 159 345 female) were eligible for analysis. Of these, 52 707 (27·4%) underwent TT alone and 139 626 (72·6%) underwent TT plus CND. The incidence of permanent hypocalcaemia was greater in the TT plus CND group than in the TT alone group (5·4% vs 4·6%, P < 0·001). The age- and sex-adjusted risk for permanent hypocalcaemia in the TT plus CND group was 1·20 (P < 0·001). CND did not raise the rates of permanent hypocalcaemia in institutes with a low volume of annual cases (<200), whereas permanent hypocalcaemia was more common in the TT plus CND group than in the TT alone group (3·5% vs 2·9%, P = 0·002) in institutes with a large volume of annual cases (≥800). TT plus CND was associated with a greater risk of permanent hypocalcaemia than TT alone. Surgeons should consider the risk of permanent hypocalcaemia when deciding whether to perform CND.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.