Advances in the management of asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism

Asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a condition defined as hyperparathyroidism that lacks specific symptoms or signs and with calcium levels of less than 1 mg/dL above the upper limit of normal, is a common clinical problem. Two previous conferences on the management of asymptomatic PHPT (a Consensus Development Conference and a National Institutes of Health workshop) indicated that medical monitoring rather than surgery is appropriate in certain patients with this condition. The Third International Workshop on the management of PHPT reviewed evidence that has become available since the last workshop in 2002. The purpose of this report is to describe recent advances reviewed during the third workshop on asymptomatic PHPT held in 2008.