Your health care provider may recommend this surgery if one or more of your parathyroid glands is producing too much parathyroid hormone. This condition is called hyperparathyroidism. It is often caused by a small non-cancerous (benign) tumor called an adenoma.

Should I have my parathyroid removed?

The average age of diagnosis is around 65 years. You might also need parathyroid gland removal if you have: tumors called adenomas, which are most often benign and rarely turn into cancer. cancerous tumors on or near the glands.

When should you have surgery for hyperparathyroidism?

If you have primary or tertiary hyperparathyroidism—in which one or more of the parathyroid glands contain an adenoma, a benign tumor—your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the overactive parathyroid gland. Most commonly, only one parathyroid gland is overactive and needs to be removed.

What are the signs of parathyroid problems?

Parathyroid Disease Symptoms

• A lump in the neck.
• Difficulty speaking or swallowing.
• Muscle weakness.
• Sudden increase in blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia)
• Fatigue, drowsiness.
• Urinating more than usual, which may cause you to be dehydrated and very thirsty.
• Bone pain and broken bones.
• Kidney stones.

What foods to avoid if you have parathyroid?

Eat calcium-rich foods, including beans, almonds, and dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach and kale). Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.

Overview of Minimally Invasive Parathyroid Surgery | CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery

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What happens if parathyroid disease goes untreated?

Parathyroid disease also frequently leads to osteoporosis, kidney stones, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and kidney failure. This is a devastating condition if left untreated.

Is a parathyroidectomy major surgery?

Parathyroidectomy is a minimally invasive surgery to remove the parathyroid glands or one or more parathyroid tumors from your neck. All patients have minimally invasive parathyroid surgery (ie, a very small incision) to remove the abnormal parathyroid glands. It is as a same day, outpatient procedure.

How urgent is parathyroid surgery?

Urgent: There are no indications for urgent parathyroidectomy. Elective: Parathyroidectomy should be a planned, elective procedure and the patient's medical condition should be optimized prior to surgery.

Is surgery the only way to fix hyperparathyroidism?

Surgery is the only way to treat parathyroid disease (hyperparathyroidism). There are no medications or pills that cure primary hyperparathyroidism. The parathyroid tumor or overactive parathyroid glands must be removed by a surgeon.

What type of surgeon performs parathyroidectomy?

Within the endocrine surgery community, a surgeon who performs 50 or more parathyroid operations per year is considered an expert parathyroid surgeon. These surgeons can be found through the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES).

How risky is a parathyroidectomy?

The old-fashioned standard parathyroid operation has a nerve injury risk of about 1-2 percent when performed by experienced parathyroid surgeons (shown in red). When performed by surgeons who do parathyroid surgery infrequently, the risk can be as high as 3 or 5 percent (shown in green).

Is parathyroid surgery painful?

Parathyroid surgery patients may experience discomfort within the first 24 hours following their procedure. In this instance, Dr. Larian may prescribe medication to help a patient manage their post-treatment pain.

How long does parathyroidectomy surgery take?

The operation generally lasts from 1 to 3 hours. After surgery, you will stay in the recovery room for several hours.

What anesthesia is used for parathyroid surgery?

You are given the option of either general anesthesia or local anesthesia. With both techniques your surgeon will perform a nerve block so your neck area is numbed. With local anesthesia, mild sedatives will be given so that you are essentially taking a nap during the operation.

Who is the best parathyroid surgeon?

James (Jim) Norman, MD, FACS, FACE. Dr. Jim Norman founded of the Norman Parathyroid Center in 2003, and is recognized as one of world's foremost experts on parathyroid disease and he has treated more parathyroid patients than any other doctor.

Does insurance cover parathyroid surgery?

Parathyroid surgery is covered by all insurance companies. In fact, the insurance companies know that it is cheaper in the long run for you to have a parathyroid operation than it is to treat all the bad complications that can occur if you don't have an operation.

What kind of doctor removes parathyroid glands?

To treat hyperparathyroidism, a surgical oncologist removes the parathyroid gland. The parathyroids are actually four glands. In nearly all cases only one gland is affected and your doctor can leave the unaffected glands intact.

Does an ENT do parathyroid surgery?

General surgeons, and some ENT surgeons have performed parathyroid surgery for many years. However, like all other forms of surgery and medicine, the treatment of parathyroids has become very specialized. There are lots of specialized tools and tests, and there are new techniques that are difficult to learn.

What are the side effects of parathyroid surgery?

What are the side effects of a parathyroidectomy? You may experience temporary changes to your voice, including hoarseness, which generally improves within the first month after your surgery. You may also experience temporary low blood calcium levels, which can often be managed with calcium supplements.

Can you talk after parathyroid surgery?

You may have some trouble chewing and swallowing after you go home. Your voice probably will be hoarse, and you may have trouble talking. For most people, these problems get better within a few weeks, but it can take longer. In some cases, this surgery causes permanent problems with chewing, speaking, or swallowing.

Will I lose weight after parathyroidectomy?

Will I Lose Weight After Parathyroidectomy Surgery? Parathyroid patients may be more susceptible to weight loss or weight gain than others, but research indicates weight loss or weight gain affects only a small portion of patients. Fatigue is common after surgery, which may cause patients to become less active.

Should you take vitamin D if you have hyperparathyroidism?

With care, vitamin D supplementation can safely be given to selected patients with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism and is suggested before deciding on medical or surgical management. Monitoring serum calcium concentration and urinary calcium excretion is recommended while achieving vitamin D repletion.

How high is too high for parathyroid?

Most of these patients have PTH levels between 40 to 60. If your calcium is frequently or persistently high, and your PTH isn't below 25, then you very likely have hyperparathyroidism.

Should you fast for a calcium blood test?

Current practices do not require fasting. You may be instructed to stop taking certain medications, such as lithium, antacids, diuretics, and vitamin D supplements, among others, to ensure the most accurate test results.

Are you intubated for parathyroid surgery?

Advantages of Minimally Invasive Radioguided Parathyroid Surgery (The MIRP Procedure) Light anesthesia, with almost no patients having to be intubated (a tube into your trachea) and put on a breathing machine typical of deep general anesthesia.