Results
In the deterministic model, total per patient costs and effectiveness rate (patients without symptomatic postoperative
hypocalcaemia) were $49.68 and 53% with no treatment, $43.94 and 67.4% with oral calcium alone and $51.8 and
92.3% with vitamin D plus calcium. Incremental analysis showed that no treatment was dominated as oral calcium
alone was more effective and less expensive. Incremental costs per hypocalcaemia episode avoided with vitamin D
plus calcium were $0.05 over no treatment and $0.32 over calcium alone.
Base case findings held in most deterministic sensitivity analyses. The probability of vitamin D or metabolites and
calcium strategy being dominant was 100% with a $2 willingness to pay for a unit of benefit.