Objectives: High incidence of hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy is a major determinant in delay of discharge. Even though many studies have focused on the search for reliable early predictors of postoperative hypocalcemia, definitions of hypocalcemia are diverse; therefore, interpretation and application of previously reported findings may not be easy. We aimed to elucidate diverse patterns of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia and to provide reliable early predictors for these different types of hypocalcemia.
Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed and eligible 112 patients of thyroidectomy were categorized into four groups according to symptomatic and/or biochemical hypocalcemic criteria. A mismatch of occurrence and the timing of symptomatic or biochemical abnormalities were evaluated. Predictive values of commonly used biomarkers were compared in each group; levels of serum total calcium and ionized calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH).
Results: Among 62 hypocalcemic patients, 45 patients (72.5%) experienced both symptomatic and biochemical abnormalities during hospitalization. A mismatch on the timing of initial detection of symptomatic and biochemical hypocalcemia was observed in 21 patients (46.6%). Intact PTH level measured at 1 hour was a useful indicator in prediction of symptomatic hypocalcemia with 79.7-87.4% of diagnostic accuracy. Serum ionized calcium measured next morning after surgery was a reliable predictor of biochemical hypocalcemia with 77.9-94.8% of diagnostic accuracy.
Conclusion: For the safety of patients, the possibility of both symptomatic and biochemical hypocalcemia should be considered together before deciding early discharge. Using intact PTH for symptomatic hypocalcemia and day-1 ionized serum calcium level for biochemical hypocalcemia will be helpful for the reliable prediction of heterogeneous nature of postoperative hypocalcemia.
Keywords: Early diagnosis; Hypocalcemia; Parathyroid hormone; Postoperative complicationns; Thyroidectomy.