Background: Patients with nonlocalizing hyperparathyroidism pose a significant challenge to surgeons when undergoing neck exploration for parathyroidectomy.
Methods: We evaluated 536 patients that had parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) from 2005 to 2018 at a single tertiary academic center, and 155 (29%) had standard nonlocalizing preoperative imaging (negative ultrasound and sestamibi scans).
Results: There were a total of 102 (66%) non-ectopic single adenomas in the nonlocalizing group and 325 (85%) single adenomas in the localizing group. There was no significant difference (p = 0.09) in adenoma quadrant between localizing and nonlocalizing single adenomas, but the most common location in both groups was right inferior. Patients with nonlocalizing scans were more likely to have double adenomas (21% vs. 9%, p < 0.001), ectopic glands (10% vs. 5%, p = 0.052), and multi-gland disease (13% vs. 8%, p = 0.002).
Conclusion: Nonlocalizing PHPT patients experienced similar cure and complication rates as localizing PHPT, but required more bilateral explorations and increased operative time.
Keywords: nonlocalizing hyperparathyroidism; parathyroid imaging; parathyroidectomy.
© 2024 The Authors. Head & Neck published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.