Impact of incidental parathyroidectomy and mediastinal-recurrent cellular and lymph-node dissection on parathyroid function after total thyroidectomy.

Hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy is a complex, probably multifactorial issue. Systematic parathyroid gland identification is not recommended due to the increased risk of gland lesion, mainly by devascularization. Incidental parathyroidectomy may induce hypocalcemia at 1 month postoperatively (statistically "suggestive" association).