Highlights
In a large South Korean real-world cohort of 31,861 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) measuring 4 cm or smaller, practice changed in the direction encouraged by the American Thyroid Association (ATA): total thyroidectomy became less common and radioactive iodine (RAI) use declined over time.
These changes were accompanied by a marked reduction in permanent hypocalcemia, falling from 2.7% to 0.2%, while transient complications remained largely stable.
