[Pre-operative detection of parathyroid adenomas with ultrasound echography (author's transl)]

Pre-operative ultrasound echography (USE) was performed in 24 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Surgical exploration showed 23 adenomas and was negative in 2 cases. USE gave 14 true positive, 3 false positive, 4 true negative and 6 false negative results. The specificity of the method was 79% and its sensitivity 93%. These figures are similar to those of recently published series. USE is a delicate but rewarding technique. In the hands of sonographists trained in cervical ultrasonography, it might eventually be used routinely to localize parathyroid tumours prior to surgery.