From April 1986 to March 1996, 280 patients with thyroid cancer underwent operations in our department. Postoperative hypoparathyroidism was observed in 82 patients (73.9%) of the 111 who underwent total thyroidectomy. On the other hand, postoperative recurrent nerve paresis (parmanent paresis) was obserbed in 11 patients of the 157 who underwent hemithyroidectomy, in 1 patient of the 11 who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy, and in 11 patients of the 111 who underwent total thyroidectomy. Furthermore, parmanent postoperative recurrent nerve paresis was observed in 9 patients of the 168 who underwent neck dissection on the left side of the anterior compartment, and in 2 patients of the 188 who underwent neck dissection on the right side of the same area.
The transplantation of parathyroid glands is necessary, and it is preferable to preserve the parathyroid glands with good blood supply.
When a neck dissection of the anterior compartment is performed, a careful manipulation around the recurrent nerve is necessary.
