The effect of parathyroidectomy on bone mineral density in primary hyperparathyroidism

Bone mineral density was studied before, and at one year after successful parathyroidectomy in six postmenopausal, three premenopausal females and one male with primary hyperparathyroidism. Dual photon absorptiometry was used to measure bone mineral density at the lumbar spine in all subjects, and at three areas of the hip in eight of the subjects. There was no significant change in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine after one year. Bone mineral density increased 7.4% at the femoral neck from 0.822 (SEM 0.053) g/cm2 to 0.895 (0.04) g/cm2; p less than 0.01, 8.7% at Wards triangle from 0.681 (0.065) g/cm2 to 0.745 (0.07) g/cm2; p less than 0.02. A 5.6% increase at the trochanteric region from 0.785 (0.053) g/cm2 to 0.803 (0.053) g/cm2 was not significant. These results indicate that significant increases occur in bone mineral density at the hip, but not at the lumbar spine at one year after parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.