[Comments on a series of 38 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism (author's transl)]

A series of 38 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism seen at a single hospital within a four a half year period is reported. The importance of hypercalcemia in the diagnosis of this syndrome and its screening in cases of arterial hypertension, gout, osteoporosis, and families with type I multiple endocrine neoplasia are underlined. The patients in the present series had a florid clinical history with a mean duration of 14 years. Main symptoms were urolithiasis (52%), arterial hypertension (28.9%), bone involvement and pain (23.7%), and peptic ulcer (18.4%). There were a high proportion of patients with hyperuricemia (26.3%), some with classical symptoms of gout. One patient presented simultaneous pituitary and pancreatic involvement. Surgical therapy was undertaken in 25 patients, of whom 24 (96%) were cured, one of them after reoperation. There were no cases of relapse, hypoparathyroidism, or postoperative death. Surgery is the only rational and definitive form of treatment of hyperparathyroidism; both experienced surgeons and pathologists are necessary to deal with the anatomic and histologic subtleties of this interesting endocrine disorder.