[Surgical treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney failure. Results of total parathyroidectomy with parathyroid autotransplantation].

Between 1978 and 1990, 68 patients, operated on for secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), received a forearm intramuscular free autologous parathyroid graft (37 women and 31 men--mean age: 43 +/- 16 years). The transplantation (Wells technique) was performed in the same time as the total parathyroidectomy and the remaining parathyroid material after surgical resection was cryopreserved. The results were evaluated in term of clinical and/or radiological and/or biological response respectively 3 or 5.5 years later, depending of the realisation of a renal transplantation (n = 27) or not. Four patients were lost to follow-up and 4 died post-operatively, including a wrong diagnosis (60 patients evaluated). Mortality rate was 12% (5 cases out of 7 related to chronic renal insufficiency). In 3 patients (5%) the transplanted gland had to be removed because of recurrent HPT (1 graft hyperplasia; 2 wrong diagnosis: 1 cervical gland left over and 1 aluminium intoxication). Second cervicotomy was performed in 3 cases (5%) for remaining cervical parathyroid gland (2 cases) and false-positive Tallium-Technetium scan (1 case). Overall results were good or very good in 51 cases (85%). A review of the literature indicate that subtotal parathyroidectomy in not superior to the Wells technique and the latter remain the landmark technique in the authors' hands in order to treat secondary HPT.