Nuclear scanning in the diagnosis and localization of parathyroid adenomas

Technetium-thallium nuclear scanning was performed in 17 patients whose clinical and biochemical findings were suggestive of the presence of hyperparathyroidism. An adenoma was located by scanning in 12 patients. Ten of these 12 patients underwent surgery; the scan had located the adenoma correctly in all these patients. One patient with a negative result of a scan examination subsequently had an adenoma removed at operation. Thyroid pathology interfered with the interpretation of the scan. This technique is recommended as a useful preoperative procedure for the detection of parathyroid adenomas, and its role in the rapid evaluation of hypercalcaemia seems promising. A prospective study to compare the sensitivity and specificity of this technique with computerized tomographic scanning and ultrasound is warranted.