Long-term outcomes after total thyroidectomy.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to assess the complication rates of total thyroidectomy in a regional hospital setting in Denmark for permanent hypoparathyroidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and post-operative bleeding. Furthermore, the long-term outcomes in the management of hypoparathyroidism were investigated. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 114 consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy due to benign thyroid disease. RESULTS A total of 0.9% suffered from permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, whereas temporary nerve palsy was seen in 1.8%. Post-operative bleeding occurred in 5.4%. The frequencies of temporary and permanent post-operative hypocalcaemia were 22.8% and 17.4%, respectively. Autotransplantation of parathyroid tissue was performed in 23.7%. Unintentional parathyroidectomy occurred in 8.7%. Serum ionized calcium was significantly lower preoperatively in the group that developed hypocalcaemia (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was similar to that reported in other published studies. Post-operative bleeding was more common than in other studies. The high frequency of permanent post-operative hypocalcaemia is a cause for concern. We need to consider implementing a guideline to facilitate outfacing calcium and vitamin D supplements as an attempt to phase out was not attempted in all patients. FUNDING not relevant. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency, but has not been registered due to its register-based design.