Single inferior parathyroid autotransplantation during total thyroidectomy with bilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Management of the inferior parathyroid gland using total thyroidectomy (TT) with central lymph node dissection (CLND) is still controversial. Therefore, we evaluated the safety and effectiveness of single inferior parathyroid autotransplantation. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) who underwent TT with bilateral CLND from January 2018 to December 2020 were collected. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and THYCA-QOL. The patients were divided into an autotransplantation group and a preservation group according to whether a single inferior parathyroid gland was transplanted. The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism, the number of resected central lymph nodes (CLNs), the rate of recurrence reoperation, the rate of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment, and the QoL score were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 296 patients were included in the study; there were 99 patients in the autotransplantation group and 197 in the preservation group. The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was 3.0% (3/99) and 4.6% (9/197) in the autotransplantation and preservation groups, respectively (P = 0.532). The median number of resected CLNs was 12 (8–17) and 10 (6–14) in the autotransplantation and preservation groups, respectively (P = 0.015). No reoperations were performed for patients with CLN recurrence, and the rates of lateral lymph node (LLN) recurrence reoperation were 2.0% (2/99) and 3.6% (7/197) in the autotransplantation and preservation groups, respectively (P = 0.473). The RAI treatment rates were 12.1% (12/99) and 22.3% (44/197) in the autotransplantation and preservation groups, respectively (P = 0.034). A total of 276 questionnaires were recovered, including 84 in the autotransplantation group and 192 in the preservation group. The QoL of the two groups of patients is similar (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Single inferior parathyroid autotransplantation during thyroidectomy can be used to prevent permanent hypoparathyroidism and can enable more extensive CLND.