Delayed fracture healing in primary hyperparathyroidism.

The incidence of fractures in primary hyperparathyroidism is highly variable. The possibility that there might be an increased susceptibility to fracture is discussed. Healing in most is without delay. Three cases of delayed or nonunion following fracture are presented. In all three, healing accelerated dramatically after excision of a parathyroid adenoma. A pathological fracture secondary to the hyperparathyroidism of parathyroid carcinoma healed after excision of the tumor allowed regression of the osseous lesions. The endocrinologic mechanisms which cause nonunion in a small percentage of cases have not been clearly elucidated.