Results.
Nine studies with 2,285 patients were included: 22 in the vitamin D group, 580 in the calcium group, 792 in the vitamin D and calcium group, and 891 in the no intervention group, with symptomatic hypocalcemia incidences of 4.6%, 14%, 14%, and 20.5%, respectively. Subcomparisons demonstrated that the incidences of postoperative hypocalcemia were 10.1% versus 18.8% for calcium versus no intervention and 6.8% versus 25.9% for vitamin D and calcium versus no intervention. The studies showed a significant range of variability in patients' characteristics.
Conclusions.
A significant decrease in postoperative hypocalcemia was identified in patients who received routine supplementation of oral calcium or vitamin D. The incidence decreased even more with the combined administration of both supplements. Based on this analysis, we recommend oral calcium for all patients following thyroidectomy, with the addition of vitamin D for high-risk individuals.
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Implications for Practice:
Excision of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) is a common therapy for thyroid diseases. It is a safe procedure if performed by an expert surgeon. Temporary low serum calcium level (transient hypocalcaemia) is the most common complication of this surgery. This complication may occur in 10%–45% of the cases and may result in mild to severe symptoms. Postoperative treatment with calcium and vitamin D may prevent or minimize hypocalcemic symptoms; however, until now, clear guidelines for the optimal use of these supplements were not available. The aim of this review is to compare the outcomes of different supplementation protocols in an attempt to assist surgeons decrease the incidence of hypocalcemia after thyroid surgery.
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Introduction
Thyroid surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures worldwide [1]. In fact, total thyroidectomy is now widely accepted as the gold standard for the management of thyroid carcinoma and benign bilateral thyroid disease due to suspicion of cancer, symptoms of local compression, and a patient's desire for rapid and definitive treatment [2]. Currently, total thyroidectomy is considered a safe procedure when performed by experienced surgeons. The main postoperative complications are recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypocalcemia [1, 3].
By definition, transient hypocalcemia resolves within 6 months after total thyroidectomy; its reported incidence ranges from 0.3% to 49% [4]. Permanent hypocalcemia persists after 6 months, with an incidence ranging from 0% to 13% [4]. Therefore, hypocalcemia is one of the main outcomes for auditing and patient consent [5, 6]. Inpatient admission and close monitoring of postoperative serum calcium level has been proposed to prevent postoperative symptoms related to hypocalcemia [7]. However, this approach has been criticized mainly due to the fact that the lowest concentration of serum calcium is usually not reached until 48–72 hours after thyroidectomy; therefore, it has major implications for safe early discharge planning [8].