Permanent hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy - Incidence and preventative strategies without imaging adjuncts.

Introduction: Permanent hypoparathyroidism (pHypoPT) is the most common permanent complication of total thyroidectomy. We aim to describe the incidence and predictors of hypoparathyroidism in a consecutive series of patients treated in a high-volume centre and define strategies to reduce the risk of pHypoPT.

Methods: 1182 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between April 2018 and June 2022 were analyzed. Temporary hypoparathyroidism (tHypoPT) was defined as PTH <0.4 ​pmol/L (<4 ​pg/mL) at day one post-operatively, or clinical or biochemical evidence of hypocalcemia. pHypoPT was defined as an ongoing need for calcitriol supplementation to maintain normocalcemia at 12 months. Symptomatic tHypoPT (OR 43.97, p ​< ​0.001) and number of parathyroid glands in the operative specimen (OR 2.31, p ​= ​0.022) were also significantly associated with pHypoPT.

Results: Biochemical tHypoPT occurred in 205 (17.4 ​%) patients whilst pHypoPT occurred in 6 (0.5 ​%) patients. On multivariate analysis, parathyroid auto-transplantation (PA) independently reduced the risk of pHypoPT (OR 0.04, p ​= ​0.004).

Conclusions: The risk of pHypoPT after total thyroidectomy is 0.5 ​% when performed by high-volume surgeons. PA represents an important technique that reduces the risk of pHypoPT.