Phase II randomized study of preoperative calcitriol to prevent hypocalcemia following thyroidectomy

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Phase II randomized study of preoperative calcitriol to prevent hypocalcemia following thyroidectomy Via Head & Neck Abstract Background A prospective, stratified, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to observe the impact of preoperative calcitriol supplementation on serum calcium levels following total thyroidectomy. Methods Subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive 1 μg calcitriol or placebo for 1 week preceding thyroidectomy. The primary outcome measure was change in serum calcium from baseline to 18 h post-thyroidectomy. Subjects were also assessed for incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia, length of stay, readmission for hypocalcemia, and intravenous calcium supplementation. Results Forty-seven patients underwent thyroidectomy; 23 received preoperative calcitriol supplementation, and 24 received placebo. Repeated measures regression demonstrated no difference in postoperative serum calcium over time (p = 0.22). There were no occurrences of hypocalcemia, intravenous calcium supplementation, or readmission in either group. No difference was observed in length of stay (p = 0.38). One patient in the calcitriol group developed Grade 3 hypercalcemia. Conclusions Preoperative calcitriol supplementation had no impact on postoperative serum calcium levels compared to placebo. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.