Total thyroparathyroidectomy in patients with thyroid cancers and changes in erythrocytic Mg levels following parathyroautotransplantation.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) rapidly decreases in patients with thyroid cancers, even after autotransplantation following total thyroparathyroidectomy. Simultaneously, serum calcium (Ca) and erythrocytic Ca levels also decrease, and in some cases, tetanic symptoms caused by hypocalcemia may occur. Assuming that magnesium (Mg) might participate in the alteration of Ca and PTH levels, the postoperative changes in intracytoplasmic Mg levels of erythrocyte were determined for several days. In the present paper, red blood cells (RBC) were used as a substitute for general somatic cells and controls were taken from patients with breast cancers. Although the erythrocytic Mg levels of the patients with thyroid cancers showed almost no change until day 7, an apparent decrease was noted in the patients with breast cancers during the period from day 1 to day 7, with a significant difference being seen between the two groups. Assuming that the operative invasions were compatible between these two groups of patients, the difference may be explained by a rapid decrease of postoperative serum PTH in the patients with thyroid cancers.