Effectiveness of prophylactic calcium and vitamin D supplementation for preventing post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia: a meta-analysis

Background Postsurgical hypocalcemia is the most common and troublesome consequence of thyroidectomy. We investigated the potential role of routine calcium or vitamin D supplementation in preventing postsurgical hypocalcemia. Methods We searched MEDLINE and Embase for English-language publications using the keywords “calcium,” “vitamin D,” and “thyroid cancer.” The primary outcome was any postoperative hypocalcemia, and the secondary outcome was symptomatic hypocalcemia. Results Four studies that included 381 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis. A random-effects model showed no significant difference in the occurrence of hypocalcemia between calcium/vitamin D treatment and placebo/no treatment. However, the occurrence of symptomatic hypocalcemia was lower in patients with calcium/vitamin D treatment. In the combined results, preoperative calcium and vitamin D supplementation were associated with a reduced incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia. Conclusions Our findings support the use of preoperative calcium and vitamin D supplementation in conjunction with routine postsurgical supplementation for patients after total thyroidectomy.