Parathyroid ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Parathyroid tumours were sonographically detected in 24 out of 72 uraemic patients with clinical and biochemical findings of secondary hyperparathyroidism. In 12 out of 24 cases ultrasonically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the tumours was performed in order to obtain a cytological specimen. In the eight patients who subsequently had surgical exploration of the neck, diagnostic accuracy of both ultrasonography and biopsy combined was 87 per cent.