Postoperative parathyroid function in cases of Graves' disease in which total thyroidectomy was performed

Cases of Graves' disease treated surgically are not rare. However, the risk of complications after total thyroidectomy is expected to be higher than after subtotal thyroidectomy because of its higher invasiveness. Thirty-one patients underwent total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease and we examined the main postoperative complications. Permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy did not occur and hypoparathyroidism occurred in 3 patients. Two of them were re-operation cases and it became clear that preservation of parathyroid function in re-operation cases is more difficult. Because Graves' disease is a benign disease, we must strive to reduce postoperative complications; discrimination by using a pigment as well as careful operation is desirable.