Complications after medullary thyroid carcinoma surgery: multicentre study of the SQRTPA and EUROCRINE® databases.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is the curative therapy for patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). In determining the extent of surgery, the risk of complications should be considered. The aim of this study was to assess procedure-specific outcomes and risk factors for complications after surgery for MTC. METHODS: Patients who underwent thyroid surgery for MTC were identified in two European prospective quality databases. Hypoparathyroidism was defined by treatment with calcium/active vitamin D. Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy was diagnosed on laryngoscopy. Complications were considered at least transient if present at last follow-up. Risk factors for at-least transient hypoparathyroidism and RLN palsy were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 650 patients underwent surgery in 69 centres at a median age of 56 years. Hypoparathyroidism, RLN palsy and bleeding requiring reoperation occurred in 170 (26·2 per cent), 62 (13·7 per cent) and 17 (2·6 per cent) respectively. Factors associated with hypoparathyroidism were central lymph node dissection (CLND) (odds ratio (OR) 2·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·04 to 4·67), CLND plus unilateral lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) (OR 2·78, 1·20 to 6·43), CLND plus bilateral LLND (OR 2·83, 1·13 to 7·05) and four or more parathyroid glands observed (OR 4·18, 1·46 to 12·00). RLN palsy was associated with CLND plus LLND (OR 4·04, 1·12 to 14·58) and T4 tumours (OR 12·16, 4·46 to 33·18). After compartment-oriented lymph node dissection, N0 status was achieved in 248 of 537 patients (46·2 per cent). CONCLUSION: Complications after surgery for MTC are procedure-specific and may relate to the unavoidable consequences of radical dissection needed in some patients.

Risk factors for medically treated hypocalcemia after surgery for Graves' disease: a Swedish multicenter study of 1,157 patients.

BACKGROUND: For reasons that remain unclear, surgery for Graves' disease is associated with a higher risk of hypocalcemia than surgery for benign atoxic goiter. In the present study, we evaluated risk factors for postoperative hypocalcemia in patients undergoing operation for Graves' disease. METHODS: Data from 1,157 patients who underwent operation for Graves' disease between 2004 and 2008 were extracted from the Scandinavian database for Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery. Risk factors for postoperative hypocalcemia (in-hospital i. v. calcium; treatment with vitamin D analog at discharge, at 6 weeks, and at 6 months postoperatively) were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Risk factors for i. v. calcium were low hospital volume of thyroid surgery (odds ratio [OR]: 95 % confidence interval [95 % CI], 0.99: 0.99-1.00), age (0.95: 0.91-1.00), operative time (1.02: 1.01-1.02), university hospital (12.91: 2.68-62.30), and reoperation for bleeding (10.32: 1.51-70.69). The risk for treatment with vitamin D at discharge increased with operative time (1.01: 1.00-1.02), excised gland weight (1.01: 1.00-1.01), parathyroid autotransplantation (5.19: 2.28-11.84), and reoperation for bleeding (12.00: 2.43-59.28). At 6 weeks, vitamin D medication was associated with gland weight (1.00: 1.00-1.01), and preoperative medication with ß-blockers (4.20: 1.67-10.55). At 6 months, vitamin D medication was associated with gland weight (1.00: 1.00-1.01) and reoperation for bleeding (10.59: 1.58-71.22). CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for medically treated hypocalcemia varied at different times of follow-up. Young age, operative time, type of hospital, and parathyroid autotransplantation were associated with early postoperatively hypocalcemia. Preoperative ß-blocker treatment was a risk factor at the first follow-up. At early and late follow-up, gland weight and reoperation for bleeding were associated with medically treated hypocalcemia.