Efficacy and safety of US-guided thermal ablation for primary hyperparathyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To summarize the published literature on thermal ablation for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thermal ablation as a novel treatment strategy. Two authors carried out the literature search using four databases independently, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science. The meta-analysis included prospective and retrospective data that compared post-ablative outcomes to pre-ablative values. The primary outcomes were parathyroid hormone (PTH), serum calcium and volume of the parathyroid gland (VPG). From the 184 original articles, five studies (4 retrospective studies and 1 prospective study) examining 84 patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed significant reduction of PTH at 3 (standardized mean difference (SMD) =  -1.09, 95% confidence index (CI) =  -1.42 to -0.76,  < 0.001) and 6 months (SMD =  -1.13, 95% CI =  -1.46 to -0.80,  < 0.001) after thermal ablation. Serum calcium level was significantly reduced at 3 (mean difference (MD) =  -0.31, 95% CI =  -0.50 to -0.12,   =  0.001) and 6 months (MD =  -0.31, 95% CI =  -0.46 to -0.17,  < 0.001) after thermal ablation. There was no significant difference between pre-ablative VPG and that of 6 months after ablation (MD =  -0.30, 95% CI =  -0.70 to 0.09,   =  0.13). The most common complications were transient dysphonia and subcutaneous edema. No major complications or death occurred. Thermal ablation is effective and safe for treatment of PHPT. PTH and calcium levels were reduced significantly at 3 and 6 months after thermal ablation.