Hypocalcaemia after thyroid surgery for differentiated thyroid carcinoma: preliminary study report.

Hypocalcaemia is one of the most common major complications after thyroid surgery with the wide range of incidence from 6.9 to 46%. Thyroidectomy is usually first choice treatment for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). The study comprised 46 adult patients operated at Zagreb University Hospital Centre. Intraoperative and postoperative ionized calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were studied. The object of this study is to investigate risk factors, incidence of hypocalcaemia after surgical treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, and the role of iPTH in comparison to ionized calcium as a predictor for hypocalcaemia.