[Prospective observational study of surgical therapy of renal hyperparathyroidism]

A prospective long-term follow-up study in patients who had had surgical therapy for renal hyperparathyroidism was launched to investigate the results of surgical treatment and to evaluate possible correlations between preoperative laboratory values and the course of symptoms. From August 1987 to December 1995, 79 patients underwent surgery for renal hyperparathyroidism. It was the first neck exploration for 72 patients. Total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation to a forearm was our preferred procedure (n = 67). The postoperative course of all patients is know. We carried out one to nine reexaminations (median 4) in 74 of 79 patients. The follow-up period ranged from 1 month to 5 years with a median of 18 months. After the operation transient hypocalcaemia occurred in 84.4% of patients. Postoperative hypocalcaemia correlated negatively with the preoperative levels of alkaline phosphatase and intact parathyroid hormone. Within the first month after surgery 60% of the preoperatively affected patients completely recovered from pruritus, whereas the skeletal syndrome took longer to disappear. One year after surgery 75% of the patients with pruritus and 79% of those with skeletal syndrome had became asymptomatic. After total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation, patients with preoperatively elevated concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (> 200 U/I) experienced faster relief from joint pain than patients with preoperatively normal concentrations (P = 0.0297). To date 4.5% of the patients developed recurrent hyperparathyroidism after total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation. Morbidity of surgery for renal hyperparathyroidism is influenced by patients' risk factors. Postoperative hypocalcaemia correlates negatively with the grade of renal osteopathy at the time of operation. Preoperative concentrations of alkaline phosphatase influence the rapidity of the relief from joint pain.