[Multiple hypersecreting lesions of the parathyroid glands during treatment with lithium]

A 64 year old woman had been on lithium carbonate for 12 years for manico-depressive psychosis. Mild asthenia leads to the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism based on the findings of hypercalcemia up to 2.85 mmol/l inappropriate levels of parathormone and a non-suppressive rise of nephrogenic cyclic AMP. These symptoms were not relieved by removal of a chief cell adenoma of the left inferior parathyroid; surgical reexploration leads to the removal of an adenoma in a high, ectopic situation. Further venous samplings were collected during cervico mediastinal phlebography because of persistent hypercalcemia: parathormone levels were high in a thymic vein and a new cervicotomy revealed a fifth gland with an adenoma in the high mediastinum. After removal of the third adenoma, the patient became hypocalcemic. Lithium was not discontinued according to the patient's wishes. Eighteen months later she was well and normocalcemic on alfacalcidol therapy. Multiple adenomas of the parathyroids are rare (1.7 p. 100 to 5 p. 100) and the recurrence of an adenoma on a supernumerary gland is exceptional. Eighteen clinical cases of primary hyperparathyroidism under lithium therapy have been reported, but mild asymptomatic hypercalcemia with inappropriate increased parathormone levels seems to be more common. Duration of treatment is very variable: 1 day to 12 years, and serum calcium levels or up to 3.9 mmol have been observed. Ten patients underwent cervicotomy with removal of an adenoma 6 of them remaining under treatment, with 2 recurrences in our case. Five of the 8 non-operated patients remained on lithium therapy and showed mild hypercalcemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)