Hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy: high rates at a low-volume, non-parathyroid institution

BackgroundHypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy is globally the most common complication to thyroid surgery. The reported complication rates vary widely and might be highly dependent on the surgical experience. In this study we aimed to evaluate the rate of hypoparathyroidism following primary total thyroidectomy at a low-volume institution that only performs thyroid surgery and does not have any experience with parathyroid surgery.MethodsRetrospective cohort study. All patients undergoing primary total thyroidectomy at the ENT-Department, Goedstrup Hospital, Denmark, over a 5-year period (2016-2020) were identified through the procedure codes for total thyroidectomy. Medical records, pathology reports, biochemical and medical histories were fully assessed for each patient. The primary endpoint was the rate of hypoparathyroidism- both immediate and permanent. Secondary outcomes were parathyroid gland identification rates, rates of parathyroid gland autotransplantation, and rates of inadvertent parathyroid gland excision.ResultsA total of 89 patients were included in the final analysis. A total of 33 patients (37.1%) experienced immediate hypoparathyroidism following surgery, while 30 patients (33.7%) still were on active vitamin D two months postoperatively. One year following surgery, 28 patients (31.5%) were still on active vitamin D and were considered as having permanent hypoparathyroidism. Sixty-one percent of the parathyroid glands were identified intraoperatively, and 19% of the patients experienced parathyroid autotransplantation. Inadvertent parathyroid gland excision occurred for 21% of the patients and was associated with a significantly increased risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism (RR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.36 – 6.62, p = 0.005).ConclusionBoth transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy at a low-volume, non-parathyroid institution occurred with much higher frequencies than previously reported. The elevated rates were most likely due to the low-volume, non-parathyroid nature of the surgeons which in part was mirrored in low parathyroid gland identifications rates, and high rates of autotransplantation and inadvertent parathyroid gland excision

The effect of adding group-based counselling to individual lifestyle counselling on changes in dietary intake. The Inter99 study – a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few studies have investigated the specific effect of single intervention components in randomized controlled trials. The purpose was to investigate the effect of adding group-based diet and exercise counselling to individual life-style counselling on long-term changes in dietary habits.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was a randomized controlled intervention study. From a general Danish population, aged 30 to 60 years (n = 61,301), two random sample were drawn (group A, n = 11,708; group B, n = 1,308). Subjects were invited for a health screening program. Participation rate was 52.5%. All participants received individual life-style counselling. Individuals at high risk of ischemic heart disease in group A were furthermore offered group-based life-style counselling. The intervention was repeated for high-risk individuals after one and three years. At five-year follow-up all participants were invited for a health examination. High risk individuals were included in this study (n = 2 356) and changes in dietary intake were analyzed using multilevel linear regression analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At one-year follow-up group A had significantly increased the unsaturated/saturated fat ratio compared to group B and in men a significantly greater decrease in saturated fat intake was found in group A compared to group B (net change: -1.13 E%; P = 0.003). No differences were found between group A and B at three-year follow-up. At five-year follow-up group A had significantly increased the unsaturated/saturated fat ratio (net change: 0.09; P = 0.01) and the fish intake compared to group B (net change: 5.4 g/day; P = 0.05). Further, in men a non-significant tendency of a greater decrease was found at five year follow-up in group A compared to group B (net change: -0.68 E%; P = 0.10). The intake of fibre and vegetables increased in both groups, however, no significant difference was found between the groups. No differences between groups were found for saturated fat intake in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Offering group-based counselling in addition to individual counselling resulted in small, but significantly improved dietary habits at five-year follow-up and a tendency of better maintenance, compared to individual counselling alone.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The Inter99 study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (KA 98 155) and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT00289237).</p