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Removal of parathyroid gland; Parathyroidectomy
Parathyroidectomy is surgery to remove parathyroid glands or parathyroid tumors. The parathyroid glands are right behind your thyroid gland in your neck. These glands help your body make calcium.
You will receive general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) for this surgery. The surgery may last from 1 - 3 hours.
Usually the parathyroid glands are removed using a 2- to 4-inch surgical cut on your neck.
Your surgeon may use one of these three other surgery techniques. Your surgeon must know where any diseased parathyroid glands are before using any of these techniques.
Your doctor may recommend parathyroidectomy if one or more of your parathyroid glands is producing too much parathyroid hormone. This condition is called hyperparathyroidism. It is often caused by a small non-cancerous (benign) tumor called an adenoma.
Your doctor will consider many factors when deciding whether to do surgery and what type of surgery would be best for you. Some of these factors are your age, calcium levels in your urine and blood, and whether you have symptoms.
Sosa JA, Udelsman R. The parathyroid glands. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 37.
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