Edis A J, Purnell D C, van Heerden J A
Ann Surg. 1979 Jul;190(1):64-8. doi: 10.1097/00000658-197907000-00014.
Arrested descent of the inferior parathyroid gland ("parathymus") during embryologic development may leave the gland stranded high in the neck. Adenomas of such undescended glands are a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism, but they may not be uncommon among patients who have already had a failed cervical exploration. Unless the surgeon is aware of this entity, he will probably overlook it. If one is to find these tumors, it is necessary to extend the dissection upward above the superior pole of the thyroid gland, sometimes as far as the angle of the jaw. Adenomas of undescended "parathymus" glands were encountered in seven patients during a recent 20 month (May 1975 through December 1976) surgical experience encompassing 414 primary operations and 27 reoperations for hyperparathyroidism. These tumors were found at initial exploration in one patient and at reoperation in six patients. The individual case histories are presented to illustrate the difficulties posed by this anatomic variant.
胚胎发育过程中甲状旁腺下腺（“副胸腺”）下降受阻，可导致该腺体滞留于颈部高位。此类未下降腺体的腺瘤是原发性甲状旁腺功能亢进症的罕见病因，但在颈部探查失败的患者中可能并不少见。除非外科医生了解这一情况，否则很可能会忽略它。若要找到这些肿瘤，有必要将解剖范围向上延伸至甲状腺上极上方，有时甚至要到下颌角处。在最近20个月（1975年5月至1976年12月）的手术经验中，共进行了414例原发性甲状旁腺功能亢进症手术及27例再次手术，其中7例患者发现了未下降“副胸腺”腺体的腺瘤。这些肿瘤在1例患者的初次探查时发现，在6例患者的再次手术时发现。现呈现个体病例史，以说明这种解剖变异所带来的困难。
