The successful transplantation of frozen parathyroid tissue in man

Autologous parathyroid tissue frozen in liquid nitrogen for 6 weeks was transplanted successfully into the forearm muscle of an aparathyroid, uremic patient with renal osteodystrophy. Two years later the parathyroid graft was biopsied. Histologic evaluation revealed normal architecture, and there was ultrastructural demonstration of secretory granules within parathyroid cells. Physiologic function of the patient's graft was documented by the presence of a normal serum calcium concentration in the absence of replacement therapy and by a high level of parathyroid hormone in the venous blood draining the grafted muscle bed.