Surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is the third most common endocrine disorder affecting 0.3 % of the population and up to 1–3 % of postmenopausal women (Jessica et al. 2011). PHPT is diagnosed by a raised serum (corrected) calcium associated with an inappropriately unsuppressed PTH level. It arises from oversecretion of PTH due to parathyroid gland(s) overactivity. Primary HPT may be treated conservatively or surgically. Only approximately one-tenth of diagnosed patients end up undergoing parathyroidectomy. Inherited forms of HPT: Germline mutations leading to loss of heterozygosity in tumor suppressor genes in multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)1 and CDC73, combined with a second mutation in somatic cells, can lead to parathyroid tumor development (Jessica et al. 2011).