Effect of postoperative hypoparathyroidism on bone density.

The mean radiographic vertebral density of permanently hypoparathyroid patients was elevated above the normal-for-age, while the vertebral density of transiently hypoparathyroid patients was normal. Of the patients who received desiccated thyroid, both the transient and permanent hypoparathyroid patients had significantly higher-than-normal vertebral densities (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.02, respectively). The duration of thyroid treatment corresponded with the degree of hypermineralized vertebral density in the patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism and permanent hypothyroidism (r = .728, P less than 0.01). However, in the transient hypoparathyroid patients, no significant relationship was found between the duration of thyroid treatment and vertebral density. Visual assessment of spinal radiographs for incidence of vertebral compressions revealed no significant differences between hypoparathyroid patients and the controls. In the patients with transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism who received calcium and vitamin D, the initially depressed blood calcium levels were within normal limits at the follow-up observation, but the untreated permanent hypoparathyroid patients were still depressed.