Chemical parathyroidectomy for recurrence of secondary hyperparathyroidism

To avoid the risks of reoperation, we treated 15 uremic patients on regular extracorporeal dialysis and affected by hyperparathyroidism recurring after subtotal parathyroidectomy with ultrasound-guided ethanol injection. Follow-up was extended to 12 months after the last injection and for 11 patients to 24 months. Plasma parathyroid hormone concentration, as measured with a carboxyterminal parathyroid hormone (c-PTH) radioimmunoassay (normal, 0.2 to 2 ng/mL), significantly decreased from a basal value of 19.29 +/- 14.73 ng/mL to 11.19 +/- 9.54 ng/mL at 1 month, 7.45 +/- 4.99 ng/mL at 6 months, 6.91 +/- 4.71 ng/mL at 12 months, and 6.51 +/- 3.89 ng/mL at 24 months. Total and bone alkaline phosphatase decreased in parallel. The only remarkable side effect was transient dysphonia, which occurred in two cases. These data suggest that the technique of ultrasound-guided fine-needle ethanol injection might be a valuable alternative to surgery for recurrent hyperparathyroidism after subtotal parathyroidectomy in selected patients. This should be confirmed in larger series of patients and with a more prolonged follow-up.