Surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid tumor: A 15-year experience

Abstract

The aim of this study was to highlight our experience over a 15-year period in dealing with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) due to a parathyroid tumor. Parathyroidectomy is the standard therapy for patients with PHPT. Our study included all patients with PHPT treated by parathyroidectomy at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China. Between 1998 and 2013, a total of 107 patients were recruited. Their clinical data, presentation, laboratory examinations, imageological diagnoses and surgical approaches were analyzed retrospectively. Eighty-four cases (78.5%) were followed up. During a median follow-up period of 5.7 years, a total of 80 patients were without recurrence and metastasis. The main symptoms of PHPT patients were palpable neck mass, joint pains and pathological fracture. The high levels of preoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) and serum calcium in PHPT patients decreased to below the normal upper limit within 3 days of surgery. The sensitivity of neck ultrasonography, sestamibi scanning, CT, MRI and the combination of three or four types of test were 86.0%, 90.4%, 80.8%, 79.6% and 96.1%, respectively. A 50% or greater drop in PTH levels within 20 min compared with the highest PTH levels before surgery occurred in 95/107 cases (88.8%). Transient hypocalcemia was the most common surgical complication. The ultrasonography and sestamibi scan is the most effective examination for parathyroid tumor. The 20 min PTH measurement appears to be extremely useful, and avoids unnecessary bilateral exploration.