Clinical Correlation of Serum Calcium Levels and Thyroidectomy: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Thyroidectomy is a very commonly performed surgery.Even though calcium metabolism is not directly linked to the function of the thyroid gland, thyroidectomy surgery is known to affect the serum calcium levels.Monitoring the calcium levels in patients undergoing thyroidectomy is useful in assessing the function and viability of the parathyroid glands. Materials and methods:The aim is to study the correlation between thyroidectomy and postop serum calcium levels.It is a retrospective study done between May 2010 and May 2017 in a university hospital.All surgeries were performed by senior consultants.Serum calcium levels were measured 24 hours prior to the surgery and 24 hours after the surgery.Thyroidectomy including hemithyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy near total thyroidectomy, total thyroidectomy, and thyroidectomy done as a part of laryngectomy were included in this study.Results: Approximately 95.9% of the patients showed a fall in postop serum calcium levels.Serum calcium levels measured 24 hours after surgery was less than 8.5 mg/dL in 23.4% of the patients.Clinical hypoparathyroidism was noted in only 3% of the patients.Approximately 5% of the patients required intravenous calcium gluconate.All of the 23.4% of patients were given oral calcium supplementation. Conclusion:In patients undergoing hemithyroidectomy, it is believed that calcium levels fall when the dominant parathyroid gland has been removed or because of devascularization of the parathyroid tissue.Thyroidectomy surgery can be tricky because the parathyroid glands have the most variable anatomy in our body.Even the most experienced surgeon could make the mistake of destroying or removing all of a patient's parathyroid glands.The dominant parathyroid gland as a part of calcium metabolism was the prime objective of postoperative changes.