Intraoperative identification of parathyroid tissue is crucial during parathyroid surgery. Frozen section is the most common tool, but is time-consuming and expensive. Scrape cytology is a modification of imprint cytology that provides rapid and cheap intraoperative identification of parathyroid tissue, but its reliability remains controversial. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of scrape cytology in the intraoperative identification of parathyroid tissue.
Renal hyperparathyroidism with attendant osteodystrophy is a frequent and severe morbidity affecting the quality of life of end stage renal failure patients surviving on long-term renal replacement therapy. A small subgroup of these patients with severe cardiorespiratory dysfunction was deemed at very high risk for general anaesthesia (GA). We report on a series of total parathyroidectomy under local anaesthesia (LA) for these patients.
: It can be difficult to achieve a stable serum calcium level after parathyroidectomy for renal hyperparathyroidism. This study examined the impact of a calcium replacement protocol guided by predicted need in reducing hospital stay.