Surgical treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal failure

ObjectiveTo identify the indications for subtotal parathyroidectomy (PTX) in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and report postoperative, early and late complications of PTX.Patients and methodsWe conducted a retrospective study of subjects with chronic renal failure operated in Tunisian hospitals who received subtotal PTX over 10 years from January 1997 to December 2007. We analyzed the clinical, biological and radiological parameters pre- and postoperatively.ResultsWe included 70 patients with average age of 39.4 years, 55.7% men and 44.3% in dialysis for 7.75 ± 4.8 years before PTX. The initial nephropathy was interstitial in 50% of cases. No cases of diabetic nephropathy have been reported. The clinical signs were bone pain (88.6%), muscle pain (85.6%), pruritus (81.4%). Radiological signs of osteitis fibrosa were observed in the majority of patients mainly resorption of extremities (92.9%), thinning of cortical (85.7%) and osteosclerosis (87.1%). The most common indication of PTX (85.7% of cases) was the persistence of serum PTH of more than 800 pg/ml associated with hypercalcemia and/or hyperphosphatemia refractory to medical treatment. A subtotal PTX (3/4 or 7/8) was performed after ultrasound and scintigraphy in the majority of cases. The histology of the parathyroid glands showed diffuse hyperplasia (51.4%), nodular hyperplasia (45.7%) and adenoma (2.8%). The postoperative evolution was marked by an improvement of the clinical and radiological criteria in 80% of cases. A PTH level of less than 15 pg/ml was rarely observed (10% of cases), and a PTH level of more than 300 pg/ml concerned 13% of patients. We noted a low morbidity and mortality (no cases laryngeal paralysis or cervical hematoma).ConclusionSurgical treatment of SHPT in Tunisia is very effective in our experience. The biological results are comparable to treatment with calcimimetics, not available in Tunisia and whose price is higher. An early treatment of disorders of bone and mineral metabolism should reduce the incidence of SHPT.     

Extra-nodal Rosai-Dorfman disease: a case report with thyroid involvement

Extra nodal involvement by Rosa?-Dorfman disease (RDD) is not rare but remains poorly described clinically and microscopically. We report a case of RDD involving the thyroid and revealed by a 15 mm cold nodule developed on an ancient goiter. The patient was a 53 year old North African woman. She also presented an involvement of cervical lymph nodes, respiratory tract and right kidney. Microscopic analysis of thyroid revealed a diffuse and dense infiltrate of large pale histiocytes with few features of lymphophagocytosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fifth case reported in the literature. In previous reported cases, thyroid RDD was associated to constant lymph node involvement (massive lymphadenopathy in 3 cases and occult in one case) and no other extra nodal localization except the respiratory tract in one case. The characteristic features of lymphophagocytosis must be searched with great care.