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Parathyroid hyperplasia

Treatment:

Surgery is the preferred treatment. Usually 3 1/2 glands are removed. The remaining tissue may be implanted in the forearm to regulate calcium levels but allow easy surgical access if hypercalcemia recurs.

Expectations (prognosis):

The success rate for surgery for parathyroid hyperplasia is lower than that for parathyroid adenoma. Persistent or recurrent hypercalcemia occurs about 20% of the time.

Complications:

Advanced complications of hyperparathyroidism associated with parathyroid hyperplasia include nephrocalcinosis and osteitis fibrosa cystica.

Patients may also have complications from the other endocrine tumors that are part of the multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes:

MEN 1 -- includes pancreatic and pituitary tumors, adrenal adenomas and lipomas
MEN 2A -- includes medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and pheochromocytoma

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have any symptoms of hypercalcemia, or there is a family history of any of the MEN syndromes

Endocrine glands

Parathyroid glands

Review Date: 8/11/2006
Reviewed By: Robert Hurd, MD, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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