Intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement in thyroidectomized patients: preliminary report

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) in this clinical trial publication.

The aim of the study was to evaluate utility of ioPTH and parathormone level measured 24 hours after surgery (24PTH) as prognostic factors of hypoparathyroidism and consequent hypocalcemia.

Why It Was Studied

Hypocalcemia is the most frequent complication after thyroid surgery.

Intraoperative measurement of parathormone levels (ioPTH) in patients undergoing thyroid surgery has been recently described as an accurate method of predicting postoperative parathyroid dysfunction.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 2 patients were involved.

PubMed tags the participants as both men and women.

Fifty-four patients (50 females and 4 males) underwent 55 operations: subtotal thyroidectomy (44), total thyroidectomy (8), completion thyroidectomy due to goiter reoccurrence and cancer (2 and 1 patients, respectively).

How the Study Was Run

PTH and serum calcium levels were assessed one day prior to surgery, intraoperatively during wound closure, on the first postoperative day and 2 months after surgery.

Hypoparathyroidism was defined as parathormone level less than 15 pg/ml.

What Was Measured

Intraoperative measurement of parathormone levels (ioPTH) in patients undergoing thyroid surgery has been recently described as an accurate method of predicting postoperative parathyroid dysfunction.

The subject headings attached to it are Hyperparathyroidism, Hypocalcemia, Intraoperative Care, Monitoring, Intraoperative, Parathyroid Hormone, Postoperative Period and Predictive Value of Tests.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) in 2 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2007 (Endocrine regulations), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) compound page, all human trials.