title: Surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the use of routine calcium evaluation, the incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has considerably increased. The aim of our study was the assessment of the morbidity and the outcome of surgically treated patients with pHPT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The charts of 279 patients (204 female, 75 male, median age: 58 years) who underwent surgery for pHPT between 1989 and 1999 were retrospectively reviewed. A follow-up was carried out on 235 patients after a mean period of 3.6 years (0.2-10 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 148 patients a unilateral, and in 130 patients a bilateral approach was taken. Transplanted parathyroid tissue was removed from the left forearm of one patient. At follow-up persistent hypocalcemia was seen in 30 patients (20 after bilateral, 10 after unilateral exploration). 6 patients (1 after bilateral, 5 after unilateral exploration) revealed a newly developed persistent paresis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. In 5 patients persistent (1 after unilateral, 4 after bilateral exploration) and in 5 patients recurrent (2 after unilateral, 3 after bilateral exploration) pHPT could be observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both unilateral and bilateral cervical exploration for pHPT have a high rate of success with a low morbidity. Therefore, patients with assumed asymptomatic pHPT with unspecific neuropsychological abnormalities should also be evaluated for surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Klinikum Deggendorf, Klinik für Viszeral-, Thorax-, Gefäss- und Kinderchirurgie, Perlasberger Str. 41, D-94469 Deggendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brabant
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrend
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006961:Hyperparathyroidism / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D016105:Parathyroidectomy / Q000379:methods; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology