Primary hyperparathyroidism: diagnostic and therapeutic trends

• Published in: Chirurgia italiana Vol. 53; no. 4; p. 475
• Main Authors: Scaramucci, M, Pozzetto, B, Di Bartolo, F, Roseano, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: Italy 01-07-2001
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism - diagnosis; Hyperparathyroidism - surgery; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0009-4773

The most interesting aspects of parathyroid disease are the increased incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism, which nowadays is diagnosed more and more frequently through the casual discovery of hypercalcaemia, the various diagnostic methodologies used, the ongoing debate as to the function of parathyroidectomy in asymptomatic patients and the new video-assisted surgical techniques which have recently been developed. The authors retrospectively review 31 consecutive cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. The clinical onset was characterised in 26 cases by an osteoarthralgic syndrome associated with renal and biliary pathology. Five cases were asymptomatic. Prior to surgery, all patients underwent both biochemical and instrumental tests. MIB scintigraphy was found to yield the most reliable diagnosis, leading to identification of 83.6% of diseased parathyroids. As regards surgical treatment, 29 cases were treated with a simple parathyroidectomy, 1 with a bilateral inferior parathyroidectomy and 1 with a thyroid lobectomy. Associated thyroid surgery was performed in 8 cases for concomitant thyroid disease: 1 total thyroidectomy, 2 subtotal thyroidectomies and 5 lobectomies. In 3 cases radioimmunoguided surgery was used. There were no cases of mortality, and 9.6% of patients presented specific morbidity characterised by some degree of paraesthesia. As stated by other researchers, the authors argue that MIBI scintigraphy is the most reliable test for the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism and that surgical treatment is the first choice for symptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism. The surgical strategy depends on the abnormality underlying the hyperparathyroidism: in the event off an adenoma, a bilateral exploration of the neck and removal of the diseased parathyroid are required; in the case of hyperplasia, a subtotal parathyroidectomy is necessary with marking of the residual parathyroid which will simplify any possible reoperation; in the event of carcinoma, a thyroid loboisthmectomy and ipsilateral parathyroidectomy are performed with removal of the fatty tissue of the antero-superior mediastinum and ipsilateral cervical functional lymphadenectomy.