Hyperparathyroidism in octogenarians: A plea for ambulatory minimally invasive surgery under local anesthesia

BackgroundWith the current aging of the world's population, diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism is being reported in increasingly older patients, with the associated functional symptomatology exacerbating the vicissitudes of age. This retrospective study was designed to establish functional improvements in older patients following parathyroid adenomectomy under local anesthesia as outpatient surgery.Materials and methodsData were collected from 53 patients aged 80 years or older who underwent a minimally invasive parathyroid adenomectomy. All patients underwent a preoperative ultrasound, scintigraphy, and were monitored for the effectiveness of the procedure according to intra- and postdosage of parathyroid hormone (PTH) at 5 min, 2 h and 4 h.ResultsMean preoperative serum calcium level was 2.8 mmol/L (112 mg/L) and mean PTH was 180 pg/ml. Thirty-eight patients were operated under local anesthesia using minimally invasive surgery and 18 patients were operated under general anesthesia. In 26 cases, the procedure was planned on an outpatient basis but could only be carried out in 21 patients. Fifty-one patients had normal serum calcium and PTH levels during the immediate postoperative period. Two patients were reoperated under general anesthesia, since immediate postoperative PTH did not return to normal. Four patients died due to reasons unrelated to hyperparathyroidism. Five patients were lost to follow-up six months to two years postsurgery. Of the 44 patients (83%) with long-term monitoring for PTH, none had recurrence of biological hyperparathyroidism. Excluding the three asymptomatic patients, 38 of the 41 symptomatic patients (93%) with long-term follow-up were considering themselves as “improved” or “strongly improved” after the intervention, notably with respect to fatigue, muscle and bone pain. Two patients (4.9%) reported no difference and one patient (2.4%) said her condition had worsened and regretted having undergone surgery.ConclusionIn patients 80 years or older, minimally invasive surgery as an outpatient under local anesthesia offered an excellent risk/benefit ratio given its many advantages: simplicity, speed, absence of general anesthesia, ease of monitoring, direct voice control intraoperatively, very low morbidity, effectiveness in treating primary hyperparathyroidism in more than 95% of first intention patients, and the possibility of immediate or delayed recovery in the event of multiglandular disease going unnoticed.     

Life threatening presentation of thoracic duct injury post thyroid surgery; a case report

BackgroundInjury to thoracic duct is a rare potential complication of time-honored conventional thyroidectomy. Nevertheless, it can be a cause of significant morbidity, and sometimes life-threatening.Patient findingsA 78-year-old female patient with a previous surgical history of thyroid lobectomy for nodular disease presented with primary hyperparathyroidism, and a nodule in the remaining thyroid lobe. The patient underwent completion thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Less than 24 h post operatively, the patient developed progressive shortness of breath and neck swelling requiring immediate intubation and re-exploration. A large amount of chyle was drained and an injured thoracic duct was identified and ligated.SummaryIn experienced hands thyroid surgery is safe. Nevertheless, factors such as the type of pathology and its extent, the level of surgery, and re-operative surgery increase the risk of postoperative complications. Immediate surgical exploration is necessary when patients present with neck swelling and respiratory distress. In our case, a high output chyle leak in a confined space was life threatening.ConclusionTimely re-exploration following thyroid surgery and thorough knowledge of the anatomy of neck structures is crucial in sparing patients potential morbidity and/or mortality.     

Surgical Treatment of Primary Hyperparathyroidism: Description of Techniques and Advances in the Field

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a disease commonly seen in patients above 60 years of age. It is the most common cause of asymptomatic or symptomatic hypercalcemia, usually found incidentally on routine check-ups. Surgical treatment is the only definitive treatment of choice in the symptomatic patient; however, it can also be employed in asymptomatic patients. First described in 1925, bilateral neck exploration is the gold standard of treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. The recent interest in minimally invasive surgeries has led to better and improved techniques of neck exploration with improved cosmetic results and lesser chances of transient or permanent hypoparathyroidism due to inadvertent removal of normally functioning parathyroid tissue. These include unilateral neck explorations, minimally invasive parathyroidectomies and minimally invasive radio-guided parathyroidectomy. The intact parathyroid hormone assays have greatly added to the detection of normal and abnormal functioning glands, hence better surgical outcomes.     

Effect of parathyroidectomy on osteoporosis and bone metabolism

The presentation of patients with hyperparathyroidism has changed over the past decades with the routine use of multichannel serum electrolyte analyzers. Serum calcium abnormalities rather than overt symptoms prompt the evaluation for suspected hyperparathyroidism. It is rare to see a patient with cystic bone changes; instead it is more common to have subtle bone loss identified in the evaluation of bone mineral density. Parathyroidectomy is recommended in patients with osteoporosis. Since the effect of parathyroid hormone on bone is complex, the changes in bone metabolism following parathyroidectomy and the effect of parathyroidectomy on fracture risk are important factors to consider. Studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the questions of bone density and fracture risk, limited by small sample size and short follow-up periods. Recent investigations describe a subset of patients with bone disease that may benefit from early surgical intervention.     

继发性甲状旁腺功能亢进症外科治疗现状

继发性甲状旁腺功能亢进症(SHPT)是终末期慢性肾脏病(CKD)最为常见的并发症,通常表现为骨关节疼痛、骨骼畸形、四肢麻木乏力等一系列症状,严重影响患者的生存质量。有效的治疗干预对降低SHPT患者的病死率和发病率是非常重要的。多数早期患者应用药物结合充分透析的方式进行控制是非常有效的,但随着病情的进展,SHPT会进入不...     

原发性甲状旁腺机能亢进患者术中监测甲状旁腺激素的临床意义

目的：探讨原发性甲状旁腺机能亢进症（PHPT）患者术中动态监测甲状旁腺激素（IOPTH）的临床价值。 方法：回顾性分析1998年1月—2012年1月行手术治疗的36例PHPT患者的临床资料,其中2005年以后术中行IOPTH监测患者22例（IOPTH组）,2005年以前术中未行IOPTH监测的患者14例（常规组）,比较两组的术中情况与治疗效果。 结果：与常规组比较,IOPTH组手术时间明显缩短[（72.95±24.34）min vs.（81.86±29.46）min,P=0.000],术后短期（1个月内）甲状旁腺功能恢复患者比例增加（90.9% vs. 57.1%,P=0.018）,永久性甲状旁腺功能减退发生率明显减少（4.5% vs. 28.6%,P=0.042）。IOPTH监测对于判断高功能病灶完全切除与否的敏感度为100%,准确率为95.5%。 结论：PHPT手术中,在术前定位基础上联合IOPTH,有助于判断功能亢进腺体是否全部切除,避免遗漏多发病变腺体及不必要的双侧探查,缩短手术时间,疗效确切。