Parathyroid gland injury after total thyroidectomy in Fayoum University Hospitals, Egypt

Abstract

Background/aim The incidences of transient and permanent hypocalcemia range from 2 to 32% (1–3) and 0.2 to 13% (3, 4), respectively, in patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy. The aim of the present work is to determine the incidence of parathyroid gland injury in total thyroidectomy operations in Fayoum University Hospitals. Patients and methods This study was carried out as a prospective study on 50 patients who presented with goiter with formal surgical indication for a total thyroidectomy operation. They were evaluated, operated and included in this study in the period from April 2019 to November 2019. Patients were examined at our outpatient general surgery clinic in Fayoum University. Results About nine patients (18.0%) developed manifestations of hypocalcemia within the first 24 h postoperatively after thyroidectomy; there was a statistically significant relation between recurrence and hypocalcemia status, with P=0.016. The incidence of hypocalcemia in patients with recurrent goiter was much higher than in those with de-novo goiter (75 vs. 13%). Conclusion Post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism due to parathyroid gland injury is believed to have a multifactorial background including the experience of the operator, the surgical technique and some risk factors of the patients (age and sex); all these factors have contributed to its incidence in the current study.