Evaluation of parathyroid tissue transplants by TI-201 scintigraphy

Hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands usually is treated surgically by total parathyroidectomy, which would deprive the patient of the parathormone essential for calcium metabolism. The postoperative management of patients submitted to total parathyroidectomy consists either in oral administration of vitamin D and calcium, or in the transplantation of parathyroid tissue, which would produce the required parathormone. The purpose of this study is the scintigraphic assessment of parathyroid tissue transplantation patients. Eighteen patients were examined in the immediate and during a later postoperative period. The examination had three parts. The first one consisted of the assessment of the viability and function of the transplant by dynamic study, using TI-201. The second part consisted of the acquisition of static images of the transplant, and the third part was investigation for possible remnants of pathologic parathyroid tissue in the neck by dual tracer (TI-201/Tc-99m) subtraction imaging.