Atypical post-renal transplantation hyperparathyroidism--further support for "removing all enlarged glands"

Hyperparathyroidism is an important sequela of chronic renal failure, remains a considerable challenge to nephrologists, and can be seen as inevitable in patients undergoing long-term renal replacement therapy. As time with renal disease increases then so does the cumulative risk of hyperparathyroidism, and the eventual need for surgical parathyroidectomy when hyperparathyroidism becomes refractory to medical intervention. Parathyroidectomy before dialysis treatment has started, or after successful renal transplantation, is much less commonly performed than when the patient is receiving dialysis. Increasingly the propensity for residual parathyroid tissue left behind (by design or accident) at an initial parathyroidectomy to undergo progressive hyperplasia under the constant stimulus of uremia, and by so doing result in the need for a second, more complex, neck exploration, has increased support for initial total parathyroidectomy for patients on dialysis. The optimal operative procedure for autonomous hyperparathyroidism after successful renal engraftment is however less clearly established. We discuss two very unusual but instructive cases of post renal transplantation autonomous hyperparathyroidism requiring surgical parathyroidectomy. Using these cases as examples we discuss the various surgical options, and discuss the contentious issue of the place for autografting parathyroid tissue.