Hypoparathyroidism and Seizure

Permanent hypoparathyroidism is reported as a complication of 1–5% of neck operations, usually involving the thyroid or parathyroids. We report a case of a 29-year-old woman with permanent postsurgical hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy for a papillary thyroid carcinoma. Despite the standard treatment with oral calcium and active vitamin D, the patient presented with frequent episodes of severe hypocalcemia, three of them associated with generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Several aspects of the physiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of seizures precipitated by hypocalcemia, as well as the treatment of hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism are reviewed.