Prediction of permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Hypoparathyroidism is a common complication with thyroid surgery. The ability to predict a high risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism is important for individual prognosis and follow-up. METHODS: Permanent hypoparathyroidism, defined as continuing need for vitamin D medication at 1-year post-operatively, was investigated in patients after total thyroidectomy. Blood levels of calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured intra-operatively, the day after surgery and at 1 month post-operatively. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the risk of vitamin D treatment at last follow-up, calculated as odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Patients were followed until cessation of vitamin D and/or calcium medication, until death, loss to follow-up, or end of follow-up, whichever came first. RESULTS: A total of 519 patients were included. The median (range) follow-up in patients unable to cease vitamin D was 2.7 (1.2-10.3) years. The rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism was 10/519, 1.9 %. Parathyroid auto-transplantation was performed in 90/519 (17.3 %) patients. None of these developed permanent hypoparathyroidism, nor did any patient with normal PTH day 1 (>1.6 pmol/l or 15 pg/ml). The adjusted risk (OR, 95 % CI) for permanent hypoparathyroidism for log PTH on day 1 was 0.25 (0.13-0.50). In patients not auto-transplanted and with unmeasurable PTH day 1 (<0.7 pmol/l or 6.6 pg/ml), 8/42 (19.2 %) developed permanent hypoparathyroidism. CONCLUSIONS: Auto-transplantation protects against permanent hypoparathyroidism, whereas low PTH day 1 is associated with high risk.

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.

A prospective study of 100 roboticallyassisted laparoscopic adrenalectomies.

We evaluated robotically assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RLA) in a prospective study of 100 consecutive patients (60 women and 40 men) undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy at the University Hospital. The median age was 59 (24-82) years and BMI 27.6 (17.1-40.9) kg/m(2). Preoperative diagnoses were Conn's syndrome 30%, pheochromocytoma 23%, Cushing syndrome 27% and non-functional tumor 20%. The median tumor size was 53 (10-106) mm. The majority of the 7% of the patients who were converted to open surgery were in the early phase after the introduction of the technique. The BMI of the patients who were converted to open surgery was significantly higher, 31.5 (range 25.3-37.8) compared to, 27.5 (range 17.1-40.9) in patients without conversion (P = 0.047). The median weight of the tumor was 51 g for patients with conversion (range 18-97 g) and 30 g (range 8-128 g) for patients without conversion (P = 0.066). The median console operation time for the whole series was 88 min (range 39-397 min). The console operation time decreased significantly with the numbers of patients operated (r = 0.372; P = 0.0003). There was an association between the weight of the specimen and operation time (r = 0.42; P = 0.0001). RLA is a safe and a feasible surgical alternative for treating all kind of adrenal disorders, particularly large tumors and more complex circumstances. The present study clearly shows that a learning curve is present for the console surgeon and assistants.

Use of the harmonic scalpel versus conventional haemostatic techniques in patients with Grave disease undergoing total thyroidectomy: a prospective randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Thyrotoxicosis is often considered to be the most difficult thyroid operation because of the high vascularisation and the risk of bleeding. The conventional haemostatic technique in thyroidectomy today include knot tying and electrocoagulation. The introduction of the harmonic scalpel (HS) has led to further research if the use of the HS has any benefits in thyroid surgery. To our knowledge, no previous study has evaluated the HS dissection technique in a homogenous group of patients with Graves' disease undergoing total thyroidectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients (39 women and 12 men) with the pre-operative diagnosis of Graves' disease treated at two endocrine centers were randomised to total thyroidectomy with the use of the HS or with conventional haemostatic techniques. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were randomised to the harmonic group and 24 to the conventional group. The operating time was shorter in the HS group (median, 121 min; range, 84-213 min) compared to the conventional group (median, 172 min; range, 66-268 min; p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The use of the HS was associated with a significant reduction in operating time compared to the use of the conventional haemostatic techniques in patients with Graves' disease undergoing total thyroidectomy.

[Double blinded prospective study of usefulness of bowel preparation on outpatients before intravenous urography.].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether or not a bowel preparation should be administered prior to intravenous urography (IVU) on outpatients at the Reykjavik Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a period of seven months 89 outpatients remitted to IVU were randomly divided into two groups, A and B. Patients in group A went through bowel preparation before the investigation but patients in group B did not. The patients in group B were asked to consume only fluids, beginning the evening before the investigation. Five patients were excluded from the study. The remaining 84 patients were equally divided between groups A and B. Before the investigation all patients in both groups were asked to fill out a questionnaire giving their reactions to the preparation procedure. Three experienced radiologists performed image interpretation. Delineation of the urinary system, diagnostic ability and quality of cleansing were judged. The study was prospective and double blinded. The same type of contrast media, the same dose and the same type of film were used each time. A comparison of results between the two groups was carried out. RESULTS: The age distribution was the same for both groups. Most of the patients in group A (76%) experienced the cleansing procedure as uncomfortable and 12% as awful. In group B most of the patients felt the preparation was comfortable. No one in group B said that the preparation was uncomfortable. There was no difference between the groups according to delineation of the urinary system except for the urinary bladder, where the delineation was judged to be worse in group B. Air in the bowel was the main disturbing factor in group A, but both air and faeces in group B. The quality of cleansing was judged to be better in group A. There was no difference between the groups in terms of diagnostic ability. CONCLUSIONS: Bowel preparation on outpatients before IVU causes discomfort to the patients and does not improve the quality of the results.

Non-palpable breast lesions. Diagnostic criteria and preoperative localization.

Marking of non-palpable breast lesions for biopsy has become a routine procedure in patients in whom mammography has suggested malignancy. Between October 1981 and December 1985 a localization method was used in 123 patients. In 35 per cent of the biopsies a malignant lesion was disclosed. In patients with a mass only, malignancy was found in 37 per cent of the biopsies. If microcalcifications alone were the main reason for the biopsy, malignancy was disclosed in 25 per cent. If both a mass and microcalcifications were present, 52 per cent of the biopsies disclosed a malignant lesion.