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Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Changes in TSH, T4, T3 and Thyroglobulin Levels throughout Total Thyroidectomy
Nora Senese1, Jérôme R Lechien1,2,3, Kris Poppe4
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck surgery, CHU Saint Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Introduction:
To assess the impact of total thyroidectomy on thyroid function.
Methods:
Monocentric observational prospective study. Patients who benefited from a total thyroidectomy in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery between September 2017 and July 2019 were included. Three blood samples were taken from each patient during the perioperative period: preoperatively (T0), intraoperatively (T1), and postoperatively (T2). Changes in TSH, T4, T3, and thyroglobulin levels were evaluated from T0 to T2. Epidemiological data were retrieved from the medical charts. Statistical analyses were performed for the entire cohort and subgroups regarding preoperative treatment and type of disease.
Results:
Seventy-seven patients were included in the study. T4 and thyroglobulin levels increased significantly from T0 to T1. TSH, T4, T3, and thyroglobulin levels decreased significantly from T1 to T2.
Conclusions:
Our study confirmed the hypothesis of variable kinetics of thyroid hormone levels associated with the manipulation of the thyroid gland during surgery, but none of these changes resulted in clinical effects, including thyrotoxicosis.
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