Jamil Salamatullah, Shahzad Ahmed Qasmi, Bilal Saeed, Faran Kiani, Ahmed Waqas.
Bilateral inferior thyroid artery ligation and transient hypocalcaemia: a comparison of two surgical techniques.
J Surg Pak Jan ;17(2):53-6.

Objective: To compare the frequency of hypocalcaemia in thyroid surgery after ligation of inferior thyroid artery trunk and ligation of Inferior thyroid artery branches at gland surface. Study design: Quasi experimental comparative study. Place & Duration of study: Department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from February 2008 to August 2008. Methodology: The patients were assigned to two equal groups, Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. Estimation of serum calcium (Ca) levels was done before surgery in both the groups. In group ‘A’ patients underwent thyroid surgery with ligation of inferior thyroid artery (ITA) trunk, while in group ‘B’ terminal branches of ITA were ligated on gland capsule. Following the surgery serum calcium levels was measured 6 hours after surgery. Afterwards levels of serum calcium were checked daily for three days. The two groups were compared for the frequency of transient hypocalcaemia. Results: Four patients in group A (13.3%) developed transient hypocalcaemia (serum corrected Ca < 2.0mmol), while in group B three patients (10%) developed transient hypocalcaemia. Fishers Exact test was applied and this difference was found statistically insignificant at p=1.0. Over all frequency of transient hypocalcaemia in this study was 11.6%. Conclusion: Ligation of ITA trunk does not increase the risk of hypocalcaemia in thyroid surgery.

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