Impact of parathyroidectomy on kidney graft function in post-transplant tertiary hyperparathyroidism: a comparative study.

Purpose: Parathyroidectomy to treat tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT) is now on a par with calcimimetic treatment. The effects of cinacalcet and parathyroidectomy on kidney transplant function remain controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate kidney transplant function in THPT patients treated either by parathyroidectomy, cinacalcet, or not treated.
Methods: Between 2009 and 2019, 231 patients with functional grafts presenting THPT, defined either by calcaemia superior to 2.5 mmol/L with elevated PTH level or hypercalcaemia with non-adapted PTH level 1 year after kidney transplantation, were included. Hyperparathyroid patients treated by cinacalcet and parathyroidectomy were matched for age, sex, graft rank, and baseline eGFR with cinacalcet-only and untreated patients. Conditional logistic regression models were used to compare eGFR variations 1 year after parathyroidectomy between operated patients and matched controls. Five-year survivals were compared with the Mantel-Cox test.
Results: Eleven patients treated with parathyroidectomy and cinacalcet were matched with 16 patients treated by cinacalcet-only and 29 untreated patients. Demographic characteristics were comparable between groups. Estimated odds ratios for eGFR evolution in operated patients compared with cinacalcet-only and untreated patients were 0.92 [95%CI 0.83-1.02] and 0.99 [0.89-1.10] respectively, indicating no significant impairment of eGFR 1 year after surgery. Five-year allograft survival was not significantly impaired in operated patients.
Conclusions: Parathyroidectomy did not appear to substantially alter or improve graft function 1 year after surgery or 5-year allograft survival. It could be hypothesized that in addition to its known benefits, parathyroidectomy can be safely performed vis-à-vis graft function in tertiary hyperparathyroidism.
(© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)