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Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the utility of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) monitoring in patients with secondary (2) and tertiary (3) hyperparathyroidism (HPT)., Materials and Methods: We identified 105 patients with 2HPT (n = 33) and 3HPT (n = 72) who underwent ioPTH monitoring during parathyroidectomy. Data are reported as mean +/- SEM., Results: The 2HPT patients underwent 17 subtotal, 10 total, and 6 re-exploratory parathyroidectomies, whereas the 3HPT patients underwent 54 subtotal, 15 limited, and 3 re-exploratory parathyroidectomies. The percent decrease from the baseline ioPTH level at 5, 10, and 15 min after parathyroid resection, respectively, were 72% +/- 3%, 76% +/- 3%, and 76% +/- 3% in patients with 2HPT, and 52% +/- 6%, 60% +/- 4%, and 69% +/- 4% in patients with 3HPT. IoPTH levels failed to drop >50% from baseline in 5 patients (2HPT: n = 2, 3HPT: n = 3) who were normocalcemic at last follow-up. IoPTH did not alter the surgical approach in any 2HPT patients, but did alter management in 25% of 3HPT patients (15 limited resections and 3 supernumerary glands). Normocalcemia was achieved in 97% of 2HPT patients and 99% of 3HPT patients; 2 patients developed recurrent disease., Conclusions: Intraoperative PTH levels fell by >50% in nearly 95% of patients with 2HPT and 3HPT, and the PTH level reliably predicted postoperative cure. Although the use of ioPTH did not alter surgical management in any patient with 2HPT, this rapid PTH assay affected the surgical care of a quarter of the patients with 3HPT, and it may prove to be a useful adjunct in this group of patients.

Background: We sought to evaluate the influence of morbid obesity in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT)., Methods: All patients with pHPT who underwent parathyroidectomy at a single institution between July 2002 and October 2008 were included. Body mass index (BMI), laboratory values, operative findings, and outcomes were examined., Results: Two hundred thirteen of the 776 patients identified (28%) were morbidly obese (BMI>or=35 kg/m2). When compared with nonmorbidly obese patients, the morbidly obese patients were younger, had higher preoperative intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels, heavier parathyroids, and required overnight stay more often (P<.05 for all). However, the rates of complications, eucalcemia, and recurrence were similar for all patients., Conclusion: In this study, more than a quarter of the patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for pHPT were morbidly obese and had significantly higher preoperative iPTH levels, heavier parathyroids, and longer hospital stay but similar rates of complications and operative success., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Our aim was to examine the outcomes of patients with tertiary hyperparathyroidism (3-HPT) who had limited resection of 1 or 2 parathyroids., Methods: We reviewed 140 patients with 3-HPT who underwent parathyroidectomy (PTX) at a single institution. Patients were analyzed according to their operation-limited PTX versus subtotal or total PTX., Results: The limited PTX group consisted of 29 patients who underwent resection of 1 (n = 12) or 2 (n = 17) parathyroids. The other 111 patients had subtotal (n = 104), total (n = 3), and/or reoperative PTX (n = 12). The mean +/- SEM follow-up was 79 +/- 5 months. Eucalcemia was achieved in 94% of the patients. All patients with persistent (n = 2) hypercalcemia underwent subtotal PTX (P = not significant [NS] vs limited PTX). In a logistic regression model, the extent of operation was not associated with the development of recurrent disease. Additionally, the incidence of permanent hypocalcemia was 7% after subtotal or total PTX versus 0% after limited resection (P = NS)., Conclusion: Long-term outcomes in patients with 3-HPT appear to be similar after appropriate limited resection of 1 or 2 parathyroid glands compared to subtotal or total PTX. Therefore, a strategy of limited parathyroid resection seems appropriate for patients with 3-HPT when the disease is limited to 1 or 2 glands.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if radioguided parathyroidectomy (RGP) is effective for hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in the reoperative neck., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with HPT and a history of neck surgery who underwent RGP over a 7-year period. Data are reported as mean +/- SEM., Results: We identified 110 patients with primary (n = 94), secondary (n = 7), or tertiary (n = 9) HPT who underwent 138 previous neck operations. The average hospital stay was 0.6 +/- 0.1 days. The in and ex vivo counts obtained with the gamma probe were 310 +/- 26 and 130 +/- 13, respectively. The ex vivo percentage of background was 69% +/- 9%, and virtually all resected parathyroids had ex vivo counts > or =20%. After RGP, 96% of patients were cured, and 5% experienced complications (all transient). Cure rates after RGP decreased as the number of previous neck operations increased (P = .002). Additionally, reoperative neck patients with single adenomas were more likely to experience cure than patients with hyperplasia (P = .02)., Conclusion: These results illustrate that RGP is valuable in treatment of the reoperative neck. In addition, RGP allows similar lengths of stay, efficacy, and complication rates as those reported for patients undergoing initial parathyroidectomy.