ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the effect of truncal or branch ligation of the inferior thyroid artery on postoperative hypocalcemia.
Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Surgery, Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from July 2021 to June 2022.
Methods: For this study, 60 patients were enrolled who underwent total thyroidectomy at the Department of Surgery from July 2021 to June 2022. Patients were divided into Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’, with an equal number of 30 patients in each group. Patients in group ‘A’ underwent bilateral ITA ligation at the trunk, while patients in group ‘B’ underwent ligation of terminal branches of ITA on the gland capsule. The primary outcome was postoperative hypocalcemia on 1^st postoperative day.
Results: Our results showed a significant difference in hypocalcemia in both groups. Decreased incidence of biochemical hypocalcemia was found in branch ligation of ITA (3.33%) than trunk ligation (36.36%) P value 0.025
Conclusion: Branch ligation of ITA decreases the incidence of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy.

Keywords: Branch Ligation, Euthyroid, Hypocalcaemia, Thyroidectomy, Truncal.

How to cite this: Javed R, Butt MQ, Tariq M, Qamar R, Bukhari ST. Effect of Truncal Versus Branch Ligation of Inferior Thyroid Artery on Postoperative Hypocalcemia Patients Undergoing Thyroid Surgery: Rawalpindi. Life and Science. 2023; 4(4): 452-457. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.366