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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
[Hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy: analysis on 804 treated patients]
Mario Sianesi1, Paolo Del Rio, Maria Francesca Arcuri
1Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica Generale e dei Trapianti d'Organo Università di Parma.
Background:
Hypocalcemia is a possible sequela of thyroidectomy; the causes are not fully understood.
Methods:
We analyzed 804 patients (594 total thyroidectomy, 209 emithyroidectomy) treated in our Institute from January 1995 to December 2000. Serum calcium, ionized calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), fosforemia were screened pre- and postoperatively.
Results:
Hypocalcemia, defined by a serum calcium less than 7.5 mg/dL, occurred in 126 patients (21.2%). In 90.6% of these patients the serum calcium was normal at seven days after thyroidectomy. In two patients we have registered at 180 days after thyroidectomy a permanent hypoparathyroidism.
Conclusions:
Several factors are important in the incidence of postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia but the inadvertent excision of parathyroid gland, ischemia and injury are the major causes of lowering of serum calcium concentration.
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