[Pre-operative symptoms and post-operative improvement in patients diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. Analysis of 120 consecutive cases].

OBJECTIVE

To compare the pre-operative and post-operative clinical symptoms in patients diagnosed as having hyperparathyroidism and given surgical treatment, in order to prove the existence of statistically significant improvement.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We report here a retrospective study performed on 120 consecutive patients operated on following diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism between 1990 and 2003.

RESULTS

Nephrolithiasis, generalized bone pain and HBP were the most common clinical manifestations. Primary hyperparathyroidisms represented 76.7 %, while secondary ones were 20.8 % and 2.5 % were tertiary. We carried out 85 adenoma removals, 30 sub-total and 5 total parathyroidectomies. We only encountered one case of recurrent palsy and about 25 % of hypocalcemias (2 of them permanent). Osteoarticular pathology and nephrolithiasis suffered by our patients clearly improved after surgery (P< .01) after 2 years of follow-up. There was no significant improvement in HBP, digestive and psychiatric pathology or pruritus.

CONCLUSIONS

The improvement in quality of life for most of the patients operated on for this condition amply justifies parathyroidectomy by an experienced otolaryngology team.