Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia and Pre-operative Vitamin D Levels

Post-operative transient hypocalcemia is a common event after total thyroidectomy. It may reveal permanent hypoparathyroidism following total or subtotal thyroidectomy. It has been hypothesized that there is a relationship between underlying vitamin D deficiency and the risk of post-operative hypocalcemia.
We performed a cross-sectional review on 100 thyroidectomies from 2016 at an academic teaching hospital. Pre-operative vitamin D levels and post-operative calcium level were obtained. The incidence of hypocalcemic symptoms was studied. Biochemical hypocalcemia was defined as any single post-operative corrected calcium level Post-operative calcemia Pre-operative vitamin D levels appear to have a significant effect on the risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.