The incidences of postoperative hypoparathyroidism during thyroid surgery with ipsilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma were close to that during thyroid surgery for benign thyroid diseases necessitating surgical intervention: a retrospective study

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Dec 23:15:1461553. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1461553. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the degree of effect of central lymph node dissection on postoperative hypoparathyroidism incidence.

Methods: The incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism was compared between patients receiving thyroidectomy with central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma and those undergoing thyroidectomy for benign thyroid diseases (thyroid follicular adenoma and/or nodular goiter) necessitating surgical intervention.

Results: The incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism was not significantly different between the groups of lobe thyroidectomy for benign thyroid diseases and lobe thyroidectomy with ipsilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma (immediate: 9.2% vs 3.0%, P = 0.157; protracted: 4.6% vs 0%, P = 0.06; permanent: 0% vs 0%). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the postoperative hypoparathyroidism incidence between total thyroidectomy for benign thyroid diseases and total thyroidectomy with ipsilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma (immediate: 25.0% vs 33.8%, P = 0.12; protracted: 4.5% vs 5.3%, P = 0.99; permanent: 1.1% vs 0.9%, P > 0.99).

Conclusion: While the rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism during thyroid surgery with ipsilateral central lymph node dissection may be slightly elevated compared to surgery without it for papillary thyroid carcinoma, they remained akin to those observed during surgery for benign thyroid diseases that need surgical management.

Keywords: central lymph node dissection; hypoparathyroidism; papillary thyroid carcinoma; prophylactic; thyroidectomy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypoparathyroidism* / epidemiology
  • Hypoparathyroidism* / etiology
  • Incidence
  • Lymph Node Excision* / adverse effects
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neck Dissection / adverse effects
  • Postoperative Complications* / epidemiology
  • Postoperative Complications* / etiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Thyroid Cancer, Papillary* / pathology
  • Thyroid Cancer, Papillary* / surgery
  • Thyroid Diseases / pathology
  • Thyroid Diseases / surgery
  • Thyroid Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Thyroid Neoplasms* / surgery
  • Thyroidectomy* / adverse effects
  • Thyroidectomy* / methods

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. BW was supported by a nonprofit fund from China Health Promotion Foundation. JW was supported by a grant from Scientific Research Fund of the Department of Science and Technology of Chengdu City (2015-HM01-00376- SF) and Science and Technology Program of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2015JY0190). The funding bodies had no role in the conception of the study, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, in writing the manuscript and in the approval of the publication.