title: Reoperation for secondary uremic hyperparathyroidism: are technical difficulties influenced by initial surgical procedure?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parathyroid surgery in patients with uremia and secondary hyperparathyroidism is performed either by subtotal parathyroidectomy or total parathyroidectomy with immediate reimplantation. The aim of this study was to compare the results of reoperation for persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism after parathyroidectomy according to which initial operative procedure was used.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-nine patients had reoperation for persistent (28 patients) or recurrent (61 patients) hyperparathyroidism after 53 subtotal parathyroidectomies and 36 total parathyroidectomies with immediate reimplantation. Results of the reoperation were assessed in terms of success rate, morbidity, and operative findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The success rate of reoperation in patients with persistent hyperparathyroidism was 89% and was independent of the initial type of surgery. Success rates of reoperation for recurrent hyperparathyroidism after initial subtotal parathyroidectomy and total parathyroidectomy with immediate reimplantation were 87% and 70%, respectively (P = .02). Hypertrophy of the parathyroid remnant was the main cause of recurrence after subtotal parathyroidectomy. After total parathyroidectomy with immediate reimplantation, recurrence was located in the graft in half the patients, while hyperplastic tissue was found in the neck or the mediastinum in the other half.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subtotal parathyroidectomy provides the best conditions for successful reoperation in case of recurrent hyperparathyroidism and should become the surgical treatment of choice for secondary hyperparathyroidism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cattan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Halimi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aïdan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Billotey
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamas
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Drüeke
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sarfati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006962:Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016105:Parathyroidectomy; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D014511:Uremia / Q000601:surgery*