Rapid parathyroid hormone measurement during venous localization.

The development of a rapid format for intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) immunometric assays has facilitated the use of these assays intraoperatively as a guide to parathyroid surgery. The near real-time characteristics of this rapid PTH assay led us to evaluate its utility in the angiography suite in a patient who underwent venous localization for persistent primary hyperparathyroidism. The assay provided the angiographers with almost immediate feedback and thereby facilitated accurate parathyroid adenoma localization. We conclude that the performance characteristics of the rapid PTH assay extend its diagnostic utility to near real-time analysis of plasma PTH levels in patients undergoing venous catheterization for parathyroid localization.