Primary hyperparathyroidism.

An experience with 316 patients operated upon with a presumptive diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism is presented. Of the 316 patients, 291 (92.1 per cent) were cured after the initial cervical exploration without using any technique for preoperative localization of parathyroid tissue. Persistent and recurrent hyperparathyroidism occurred in 4.0 and 3.7 per cent, respectively. The success rate for secondary operations (cervical and mediastinal) was 82 per cent. Permanent unilateral vocal cord paralysis occurred in three patients and persistent symptomatic hypercalcemia occurred in another two. Twelve (4 per cent) of the patients had hyperparathyroid crisis and five (1.8 per cent) had carcinoma of the parathyroid gland. The mean follow-up time was six years. Removal of a single macroscopically enlarged gland, if the other glands are normal, is all that needs to be done in most instances. Subtotal parathyroidectomy should be preserved for those patients who have diffuse glandular hyperplasia.