Current practice in the surgical management of parathyroid disorders: a United Kingdom survey

Surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism is undertaken by many specialties but predominantly endocrine and ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons. There is currently no consensus on the peri-operative management of primary hyperparathyroidism. We sought to determine current surgical practice and identify any inter-specialty variation in the United Kingdom (UK).

An online survey was disseminated to members of the British Association of Endocrine & Thyroid Surgeons (BAETS) in the UK.

78 surgeons responded (40 Endocrine, 37 ENT and 1 maxillofacial). 90% of surgeons used ultrasound and sestamibi for pre-operative localisation. Intraoperative frozen section (31%) and parathyroid hormone monitoring (41%) were the most common adjuncts used intraoperatively. 68% of surgeons did not use any wound drains. Nearly two-thirds of surgeons (64%) discharged patients from the clinic within 3 months, There were some significant differences (p < 0.05) in particular areas of practice between endocrine and ENT surgeons (%, p): use of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (Endocrine 25% vs. ENT 5%), preoperative laryngeal assessment (endocrine 58% vs. ENT 95%), intraoperative laryngeal nerve monitoring (endocrine 35% vs. ENT 68%), use of monopolar diathermy (endocrine 58% vs. ENT 22%), bipolar diathermy (endocrine 60% vs. 89%) and surgical ties (endocrine 48% vs. ENT 19%).

Our study demonstrates some similarities as well as some notable differences in practice between endocrine and ENT surgeons, and therefore, highlights the need for national consensus with respect to some key areas in parathyroid surgery.