Abstract:
The present study was conducted to determine the frequency of post-operative hypocalcaemia following
thyroid surgery at a tertiary care hospital of Sindh
Study design: Observational study
Place and Duration: Department of surgery, Isra University Hospital from December 2014 to July 2017.
Materials and Methods: 100 cases of thyroid swellings were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Pre- operative patient history, physical examination, thyroid gland examination and laboratory investigations were
performed. A serum calcium levels <8 mg/dl was taken as hypocalcemia. Data was analyzed on SPSS 21 version and
P value (P< 0.05) was considered significant.
Results: Of 100 patients, 67% were female and 33% were male (P=0.0001). Female dominancy was noted with female
to male ratio of 2.03:1. Age (mean± SD) was noted as 37.5 ± 9.5 years (19 – 48 years). Frequency of symptomatic
hypocalcaemia was noted in 23% subjects post operatively. Mean± SD serum calcium and phosphate in post operative
hypocalcemia subjects was noted as 7.31 ± 0.38 mg/dl and 2.95 ± 0.63 mg/dl respectively. Majority of symptomatic
hypocalcemia were noted within 72 hours post operatively.
Conclusion: The present study reports 23% frequency of post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia noted within 72 hours
post operatively. Goiters of long duration, recurrent goiters, hyperthyroidism and goiters with retro sternal extensions
were found risk factors for the post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia
