Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39411620›Full record

ArticleCureus2024

Refractory Hypocalcemia Following Total Thyroidectomy in an Adult Patient With Bariatric Surgery.

Anna A Ilyasova, Christopher A Caulfield, Evan Raff

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Anna A IlyasovaMedicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.
Christopher A CaulfieldMedicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.
Evan RaffMedicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Obesity poses a global health challenge with significant individual and societal impacts. Bariatric surgery, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch (BPD/DS), is effective for long-term weight management but can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies, particularly hypocalcemia. This report presents the rare case of a 35-year-old woman with severe, recurrent hypocalcemia following BPD/DS surgery, complicated by iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism from prior thyroidectomy. Despite aggressive oral and intravenous calcium and vitamin D supplementation, the patient's hypocalcemia remained refractory, necessitating multiple hospitalizations. Laboratory studies confirmed severe hypocalcemia, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), and deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, complicating her clinical management. As conventional treatments failed, the patient underwent surgical revision from BPD/DS to RYGB anatomy, aimed at improving calcium absorption by restoring functional small bowel length. Postoperatively, her serum calcium levels normalized, and she was successfully discharged on oral calcium supplementation, with stable calcium levels at follow-up. This case underscores the challenges of managing hypocalcemia in patients with BPD/DS anatomy and hypoparathyroidism. The greater malabsorption associated with BPD/DS can severely impair calcium absorption, leading to refractory hypocalcemia. This report is the first documented case where surgical conversion from BPD/DS to RYGB effectively treated this condition. The findings underscore the critical need for preoperative risk assessment for, and careful postoperative management of, hypoparathyroidism in bariatric surgery patients with complex medical histories. This case report outlines a potential treatment pathway for managing refractory hypocalcemia, emphasizing the importance of preserving calcium-absorbing bowel function in patients with BPD/DS anatomy. It provides valuable insights into treating severe hypocalcemia and demonstrates a successful surgical intervention that could inform the management of similar cases.

Indexed as

bariatric surgery complicationsbiliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (bpdds)hypocalcemia managementhypoparathyroidismresistant hypocalcemia

Identifiers

PMID39411620
PMCPMC11479376

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.