[A clinico-pathologic study of 31 cases of parathyroid hyperplasia and tumours]

31 cases of primary hyperplasia and neoplasms of the parathyroid gland are reported. Among them, 23 cases were parathyroid adenoma, 6 cases parathyroid hyperplasia, one case adenoma associated with hyperplasia, and one case of parathyroid adenocarcinoma. Follow-up study demonstrated that prognosis in the adenoma group is better than that in the hyperplasia group, and one carcinoma patient died from metastasis. Regarding differential diagnosis, adenoma is usually single, with frequent presence of oppressed parathyroid tissue next to the tumor capsule; and cell atypical hyperplasia is often seen microscopically, which is usually multiple in sites, and some residual adipose tissue can be found under the microscope. Clinically, both groups manifested hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, especially in those cases with chief cell hyperplasia. Capsule infiltration and vascular embolism are emphasized as the differential features between benign and malignant parathyroid tumours.