Surgical treatment of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to define indications for surgical treatment and its scope in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in the presence of end-stage chronic renalfailure. The authors examined 80 patients who had a history of long-term procedures of hemo- or peritoneal dialysis. The patients’ mean age was 47±3.2 years. Measurements of the levels of alkaline phosphatase, ionized and total calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, ultrasound of the parathyroid glands, densitometry and X-ray study were made in all the patients. All the patients received alfacalcidole therapy during different periods of time. Clinical, laboratory, and morphological correlations were made to establish indications for surgical treatment. The sensitivity ofpreoperative ultrasonography was 72.5% and that of intraoperative ultrasound study was as high as 98.4%. The sensitivity of intraoperative revision was 75%. Sixteen of the 20 patients operated on underwent total parathyroidectomy by autografting a fragment of one of the least glands into the muscle. Subtotal parathyroidectomy was made in 3 patients; 3 parathyroid glands were removed in 1. Emergency and planned studies were performed in all the patients. The duration of the patients operated on averaged 14 months. Three patients undergone total parathyroidectomy with autografiing developed signs of hyperparathyroidism following 6, 12, and 13 months, in this connection graft resection was made in these patients. In the follow-up periods of 3 to 6 months, the level of parathyroid hormone became normal after resurgery in 2 of these patients, hypoparathyroidism developed in one patient. Two months after surgery, recurrent secondary hyperthyroidism was detected in 2 of the 3 patients who had undergone subtotal parathyroidectomy (4 and 7 months after the occurrence of signs of transient hypoparathyroidism) and in 1 patient in whom 3 parathyroid glands had been removed. Four of the 20 patients operated on were observed to have hypoparathyroidism that was compensated by calcium preparations and active forms of vitamin D3. Thus, a good result was noted in 70% of the patients after surgical treatment.