Cancer
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Prevention of postoperative hypocalcemia with routine oral calcium and vitamin D supplements in patients with differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma undergoing total thyroidectomy plus central neck dissection.
Routine oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation may prevent hypocalcemic crisis, but its efficacy has not been studied in patients undergoing thyroidectomy plus central neck dissection (CND). The authors therefore prospectively evaluated the clinical usefulness of routine oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation for prevention of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy and CND. ⋯ Compared with total thyroidectomy alone, CND significantly increases the rate of postoperative hypocalcemia, which can be prevented by routine postoperative supplementation with oral calcium and vitamin D.