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Background: Hypoparathyroidism (HypoPT) or pseudo-hypoparathyroidism (pseudo-HypoPT) during pregnancy may cause maternal and fetal/neonatal complications. In this regard, only a few case reports or case series of pregnant or lactating women have been published. The purpose of this study was to describe clinical and biochemical course, pharmacological management, and potential adverse events during pregnancy and post-partum in pregnant women with HypoPT or pseudo-HypoPT. This was a retrospective, observational, multicenter, study involving nine Italian referral centers for endocrine diseases affiliated with the Italian Society of Endocrinology and involved in "Hypoparathyroidism Working Group"., Results: This study identified a cohort of 28 women (followed between 2005 and 2018) with HypoPT (n = 25, 84% postsurgical, 16% idiopathic/autoimmune) and pseudo-HypoPT (n = 3). In HypoPT women, the mean calcium carbonate dose tended to increase gradually from the first to third trimester (+ 12.6%) in pregnancy. This average increase in the third trimester was significantly greater compared to the pre-pregnancy period (p value = 0.03). However, analyzing the individual cases, in 44% the mean calcium dosage remained unchanged throughout gestation. Mean calcitriol doses tended to increase during pregnancy, with a statistically significant increase between the third trimester and the pre-pregnancy period (p value = 0.02). Nevertheless, analyzing the individual cases, in the third trimester most women with HypoPT (64%) maintained the same dosage of calcitriol compared to the first trimester. Both mean calcium carbonate and calcitriol doses tended to decrease from the third trimester to the post-partum six months. Most identified women (~ 70%) did not display maternal complications and (~ 90%) maintained mean serum albumin-corrected total calcium levels within the low-to-mid normal reference range (8.5 ± 0.8 mg/dl) during pregnancy. The main complications related to pregnancy period included: preterm birth (n = 3 HypoPT women), and history of miscarriages (n = 6 HypoPT women and n = 2 pseudo-HypoPT women)., Conclusion: This study shows that mean serum albumin-corrected total calcium levels were carefully monitored during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, with limited evaluation of other biochemical parameters, such as serum phosphate, 24 h urinary calcium, 25-OH vitamin D, and creatinine clearance. To avoid complications in mothers affected by (HypoPT) or (pseudo-HypoPT) and offspring, intense biochemical, clinical and pharmacological monitoring during pregnancy and breastfeeding is highly recommended., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: In thyroid surgery, wrong-site surgery (WSS) is considered a rare event and seldom reported in the literature., Case Presentation: This report presents 5 WSS cases following thyroid surgery in a 20-year period. We stratified the subtypes of WSS in wrong target, wrong side, wrong procedure and wrong patient. Only planned and elective thyroid surgeries present WSS cases. The interventions were performed in low-volume hospitals, and subsequently, the patients were referred to our centres. Four cases of wrong-target procedures (thymectomies [n = 3] and lymph node excision [n = 1] performed instead of thyroidectomies) and one case of wrong-side procedure were observed in this study. Two wrong target cases resulting additionally in wrong procedure were noted. Wrong patient cases were not detected in the review. Patients experienced benign, malignant, or suspicious pathology and underwent traditional surgery (no endoscopic or robotic surgery). 40% of WSS led to legal action against the surgeon or a monetary settlement., Conclusion: WSS is also observed in thyroid surgery. Considering that reports regarding the serious complications of WSS are not yet available, these complications should be discussed with the surgical community. Etiologic causes, outcomes, preventive strategies of WSS and expert opinion are presented.

The iatrogenic injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), more clinically significant than those affecting the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN), constitute one of the most feared perioperative complications of thyroid surgery and parathyroid glands, in terms of impact in clinical and economic-social costs. Moreover, these events rank among the leading reasons for medicolegal litigation of surgeons because of its attendant reduction in quality of life. The average incidence of RLN paralysis, permanent and temporary, after thyroidectomy is high and stands between 2.3% and 9.8% respectively. Given the elements described above, it is essential for the surgeon to adhere to a carefully standardized intraoperative technique that minimizes the possibility of RLN injuries. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was introduced to reduce RLN injuries and for this reason, it achieved considerable success among endocrine surgeons. However, even today it is considered an adjunct device to the direct identification of the RLN. In this perspective, IONM of RLN constitutes an important aid, since it represents a reliable tool for the evaluation of functional neural integrity. Despite the ever-increasing diffusion of the IONM, prospective randomized studies are needed for further validation. The purpose of this work is to analyze scientific evidence to show that IONM in thyroid surgery is here to stay., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2020 Gland Surgery. All rights reserved.)

We evaluate the role of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroidectomy performed for Graves' disease (GD) with an emphasis on recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) management and completeness of resection. The study is a retrospective series comprising 55 thyroidectomy (control group) versus 82 procedures with intermittent IONM (I-IONM) and 72 by means of continuous IONM (C-IONM). In the control group the laryngeal nerves have been identified by visualization solely. In the I-IONM group both vagal nerve (VN) and RLN have been localized and monitored during thyroid resection. C-IONM was achieved with a vagal stimulation probe. I-IONM group had shorter operating times (P = 0.032). RLN morbidity, meaning palsy rate, was 2.7% in the C-IONM group, 3.6% in I-IONM and 5.4% in the control group (P = 0.058). The proportion of complete procedures (total or near total resections) were significantly higher using monitoring technology (P = 0.049). Persistent positive serum TBII values were found in 25 (45%), 25 (30%) and 20 (27%) patients at 12 months in the control, I-IONM and C-IONM groups respectively (P = 0,04). IONM is an effective technology in GD patients.