What causes muscle spasms after thyroidectomy?

What causes muscle spasms after thyroidectomy?

Postoperative hypocalcemia is a common complication following thyroidectomy. Decreased serum calcium, secondary to hypoparathyroidism, may present clinically with muscle cramps, perioral and peripheral paresthesias, carpopedal spasm or tetany, and/or confusion.

How does hypocalcemia occur after thyroidectomy?

Hypocalcemia is a major post-operative complication of total thyroidectomy, causing severe symptoms and increasing hospitalization time. The primary cause is secondary hypo-parathyroidism following damage to, or devascularisation of, one or more parathyroid glands during surgery.

What causes tetany and laryngeal spasm in thyroidectomy?

Inadvertent removal or disturbance of blood supply to prathyroid is very common during total thyroidectomy. So hypocalcaemic tetany due to hypoparathyroidism is a common consequence. The incidence of hypocalcaemic tetany in various study ranges from 1.6% – 50%6.

What should I watch for after total thyroidectomy?

Risks

• Bleeding.
• Infection.
• Low parathyroid hormone levels (hypoparathyroidism) caused by surgical damage or removal of the parathyroid glands. These glands are located behind your thyroid and regulate blood calcium.
• Airway obstruction caused by bleeding.
• Permanent hoarse or weak voice due to nerve damage.

How do you treat low calcium after thyroidectomy?

If you have symptoms of low calcium levels after the operation, take an extra 1000 mg and wait 30 minutes. If the symptoms do not go away after 30 minutes, take an extra 1000 mg and wait another 30 minutes. If the symptoms still have not improved, please give your surgeon a call.

How quickly does calcium drop after thyroidectomy?

The average decrease in calcium during the first 24 hours following thyroidectomy was 1.1 mg/dL for Group 1 and 0.4 mg/dL for Group 2 (Figure). All symptomatic patients in Group 1 either had a serum PTH level less than 6 pg/mL or a calcium level less than 8 mg/dL on postoperative Day 1.

What hormone is responsible for Tetany?

For instance, hypoparathyroidism is a condition in which the body doesn’t create enough parathyroid hormone. This can lead to dramatically lowered calcium levels, which can trigger tetany.

What are the symptoms of a carpopedal spasm?

If you have a carpopedal spasm, you may experience symptoms including: involuntary cramping of your fingers, wrist, toes or ankles. pain. muscle weakness. fatigue. numbness or tingling sensation. twitching.

What causes a carpopedal spasm with hypoparathyroidism?

Hypoparathyroidism. Trousseau’s sign (watch video) is carpopedal spasm caused by inflating the blood-pressure cuff to a level above systolic pressure for 3 minutes. An uncommon condition characterized by a low level of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Often caused by “accidental” removal of the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery.

What causes numbness and tingling in the carpopedal area?

Any health condition or ailment that causes the muscle to expand or contract can also lead to these types of spasms. A carpopedal spasm can be accompanied by numbness, weakness, and a tingling sensation in addition to extreme pain. Treatment starts with the cause of the spasm, and may be as simple as keeping hydrated or increasing calcium intake.

What causes muscle spasms after a thyroidectomy?

Episodes of paresthesia and tetany delayed the patient’s hospital discharge, serving as a reminder of the potential morbidities thyroid surgery can entail. How to cite this article Heidenreich MJ, Antiel RM, Dean DS Farley DR. Muscle Spasms after Thyroidectomy: What Went Wrong? World J Endoc Surg 2013;5 (1):16-17. … …