The Effect of Parathyroid Gland Autotransplantation on Hypoparathyroidism After Thyroid Surgery for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Bin Wang,1,* Chun-Rong Zhu,2,* Xin-Min Yao,1 Jian Wu1 1Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Chemistry, School of Basic Medical Science, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jian WuDepartment of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, No. 82, Qinglong Street, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 28 6756 6092Email wo_doctor@163.comPurpose: There are some controversies over the relationship between parathyroid gland autotransplantation and permanent hypoparathyroidism. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parathyroid gland autotransplantation and postoperative hypoparathyroidism.Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent initial thyroid surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma from January 2014 to December 2018. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the number of autotransplanted parathyroid glands (group 1: 0 autotransplanted parathyroid gland, group 2: 1 autotransplanted parathyroid gland, group 3: 2 autotransplanted parathyroid glands, group 4: 3 autotransplanted parathyroid glands). Clinical data were analyzed among the four groups.Results: The more parathyroid glands were transplanted, the higher the incidence of immediate hypoparathyroidism was (group 1: 32.9%, group 2: 52.9%, group 3: 65.8%, group 4: 82.4%; Pgroup 1 vs group 2 0.99, Pgroup 2 vs group 3 > 0.99, Pgroup 3 vs group 4 > 0.99).Conclusion: The number of autotransplanted parathyroid glands was positively associated with the incidence of postoperative immediate hypoparathyroidism. Parathyroid gland autotransplantation was not associated with permanent hypoparathyroidism.Keywords: parathyroid gland, autotransplantation, hypoparathyroidism, thyroid surger