Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a major risk factor for the development of postoperative hypocalcaemia. Patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for SHPT receive alfacalcidol 4 mg once daily for three preoperative days as prophylaxis against postoperative hypocalcaemia.Objectives: The aims of the study were to establish whether the current protocol for prophylaxis of hypocalcaemia was effective and secondly to assess whether the introd...

Introduction: Patients undergoing parathyroidectomy routinely stay in hospital overnight if they have primary hyperparathyroidism or longer if they have secondary hyperparathyroidism due to the risk of postoperative hypocalcaemia. There is no reliable way of predicting whether the often observed transient mild hypocalcaemia will progress, necessitating treatment. Frequent serum calcium checks remain the only way to ensure that hypocalcaemia does not go untreated. Prescribing c...

Introduction: Patients undergoing total thyroidectomy may stay in hospital for several days postoperatively because of the risk of hypocalcaemia, which necessitates frequent serum calcium level checks. A reliable test for predicting postoperative hypocalcaemia may enable many patients to have day case surgery. Recent studies suggest that perioperative PTH levels may be useful in identifying those at risk of hypocalcaemia.Objectives: The aim of the study ...

Case historyA 23-year-old woman with no significant past medical history and normal renal function was incidentally found to be hypercalcaemic in 2003. Following investigation, she was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism. She underwent three-gland parathyroidectomy; histology demonstrated hyperplasia. Her bone function remained normal, but 4 years later she was found to have normocalcaemic hyperparathyroidism. Sestamibi demonstrated uptake inferio...