Evaluation of Wisconsin and CaPTHUS Indices Usefulness for Predicting Monoglandular and Multiglandular Disease in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism through the Analysis of a Single-Center Experience

Background. The main challenge for treating primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is to understand if it is caused by a single adenoma (80–85% of the cases) or by a multiglandular disease (15–20%), both preoperatively and intraoperatively. For this reason, some preoperative scores were proposed in the literature, to perform focused parathyroidectomy, avoiding intraoperative parathormone assay (ioPTH). The most known are the CaPTHUS test and the Wisconsin index. We applied them to our experience. Methods. A retrospective cohort study on 462 patients referred for parathyroidectomy to Thyroid and Parathyroid Unit at Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Milan, Italy, from 2011 to 2021. Only patients affected with benign PHPT and neck ultrasound performed at our institution were included. Both patients for whom preoperative imaging agreed with the localization of a single diseased parathyroid and those with only ultrasound or scintigraphy positive for parathyroid localization underwent Mini-Invasive Video-assisted parathyroidectomy. In all cases, ioPTH assay was performed. The conversion to bilateral neck exploration was decided based on the drop in ioPTH. CaPTHUS score and the Wisconsin index (Win) were applied to the series. CaPTHUS score ≥3 and Win index >1600, according to the original studies of the literature, were considered at high probability of monoglandular disease. Outcomes in these two groups were examined. Results. 236 patients were eligible for the study. The pathology resulted in multiglandular disease in 24 patients (10.2%). Among these, 18 (75.0%) obtained a CaPTHUS score ≥3, and 20 (83.3%) had a Win index>1600. Intraoperative PTH allowed to identify multiglandular disease in 16 of 18 cases with CaPTHUS ≥3 and in 18 of 20 cases with win >1600, who could have been lost, based only on the results of these 2 tests. Conclusion. Based on our experience, CaPTHUS test and Wisconsin index were not so useful in predicting multiglandular disease as ioPTH.

Parathyroid Adenoma With Respiratory-Like Epithelium: Case Report of a Potential Mimic With Unknown Etiology

Parathyroid adenoma is a tumor composed of increased parenchymal tissue, often built-up by chief cells, transitional cells or oncocytic cells arranged in acinar or solid formations. Occasionally, rare histological patterns are reported, including cystic or trabecular arrangements. We present a 47 year-old male patient with primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent focused parathyroidectomy for a right inferior adenoma. Surgery was uneventful, but histologically, normal parathyroid tissue adjacent to a tumorous structure displaying a cystic growth pattern was detected. The cells lining the cyst walls appeared cylindrical and pseudo-stratified, vaguely reminiscent of a respiratory type of epithelium usually associated to branchial cleft cysts or thyroglossal cyst remnants, albeit with a tumorous appearance. The respiratory-like epithelium stained positive for parathyroid markers PTH and GATA3, thereby confirming them as parathyroid-derived. The patient was cured from surgery as he displayed normal calcium and PTH levels postoperatively, and is currently alive and well without signs of relapse 4 years after surgery. This is to our knowledge the first report of a parathyroid tumor displaying a respiratory-like epithelium. Experimentally, canine parathyroid glands can develop ciliated respiratory epithelium in response to inhalation of ozone. Our patient is a construction worker with a hypothetically increased risk of continuous ozone exposure. Although this association remains purely speculative, future investigations of this tumor phenotype could perhaps yield novel insights regarding the frequency of this histological variant, potential clinical associations, and clues regarding influencing factors.

Surgical outcome after focused parathyroidectomy: an experience from a tertiary care center in north India

Introduction: Focused parathyroidectomy is the gold standard treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) due to single gland disease with comparable success rate as that of conventional four gland exploration. It is also associated with fewer surgical complications. Despite these benefits, there is still controversy about the high recurrence following focused approach. Therefore the aim was to analyse our experience in terms of success rate of focused parathyroidectomy for PHPT. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 192 patients of PHPT between January 2017 and August 2020 who underwent focused parathyroidectomy without iOPTH analysis; and had a minimum follow up of six months. Demographic profile, biochemical (pre and postoperative), radiological, operative and histological detail of all patients was recorded. Parathyroidectomy was considered curative if patient maintained normal serum calcium and PTH levels six months after surgery. Persistent hyperparathyroidism was considered if hypercalcemia or high PTH levels persisted; or recurrent disease when patient had rising serum calcium and / or PTH levels six months after curative parathyroidectomy. Results: No patient had pain and wound related complications after parathyroidectomy. Two patients had voice change in the immediate postoperative period which recovered subsequently; no patient had documented vocal cord paralysis. Persistent disease was present in two patients; both required neck exploration. Four patients had recurrence of PHPT within 6 months of parathyroidectomy; all of them had hyperplasia on the final biopsy. The overall cure rate was 97.92%. Conclusion: Therefore, we recommend focused surgery for sporadic PHPT with acceptable recurrence rate and surgical complications.

Surgical outcome of radioguided parathyroidectomy in primary hyperparathyroidism

Background: Focused parathyroidectomy is the adequate treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism for localised disease. Adequacy of resection is confirmed by the availability of intraoperative parathormone assay (iOPTH). In the absence of availability of iOPTH assay, the radio guided surgery is an option. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of radioguided parathyroidectomy in tertiary care centre in India and to compare the overall success rate, operative time, hospital stay and postoperative outcome between focused open and radioguided parathyroidectomy.Methods: This was a prospective study which included 30 primary hyperparathyroidism patients with a single gland disease localised on Tc99m Sesta MIBI scan. Patients were randomized into two equal groups, and they underwent focused open or radioguided parathyroidectomy. Patients were followed up for three months.Results: All patients achieved biochemical cure as evident by the normalization of serum calcium and parathormone levels after surgery. The mean incision length, and operative time in this study was significantly better for radioguided parathyroidectomy (p=0.0001, <0.0001 respectively). There was no perioperative complications like recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, gland rupture, or bleeding in either group. However, there seems to be higher grade of pain experience by the patients who underwent open focused parathyroidectomy (p<0.0001).Conclusions: Radioguided parathyroidectomy has excellent cure rate for PHPT with an added advantage of short operative time & incision length and less post-operative pain. Radioguided parathyroidectomy seems to be a good alternative in the absence of availability of iOPTH assay and frozen section.

Recent advances in the understanding and management of primary hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a hormonal disorder whose prevalence is approximately 1–2% in the United States of America. The disease has become more recognizable to clinicians in an earlier phase and, at present, patients can be diagnosed with “classic”, “normocalcemic”, “normohormonal”, or “mild, asymptomatic” primary hyperparathyroidism. Surgery, with a focused parathyroidectomy when possible, or a four-gland exploration, is the only way to cure the disease. Cure is determined by use of intra-operative parathyroid hormone monitoring with long-term cure rates ranging from 90–95%. Newer adjuncts to surgery include CT or PET imaging and near-infrared immunofluorescence. This article highlights updates in parathyroid disease and advances in parathyroid surgery; it does not provide a comprehensive summary of the disease process or a review of surgical indications, which can be found in the AAES guidelines or NIH Symposium on primary hyperparathyroidism.