[Hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy. Pathogenetic and clinical aspects]

Hypocalcaemia may arise after thyroidectomy. This condition has been attributed to various causes but the explanations of the phenomenon are not always convincing. The present study was designed to investigate the frequency of the phenomenon and its causes via the early and tardive monitoring of calcaemia, phosphoraemia, calcitoninaemia, thyroid hormones and TSH. The results obtained reveal that hypocalcaemia is due to postoperative hypothyroidism that is revealed more clearly by the behaviour of TSH than that of the thyroid hormones. Patients must be treated with vitamin D until thyroid hormone function is normalised. The behaviour of PTH after thyroidectomy and in hypothyroidism reveals the appearance of inane hyperparathyroidism secondary to and related to the hypocalcaemia.