Day-case minimally invasive excision of a giant mediastinal parathyroid adenoma

Giant Parathyroid Adenoma-Associated Fracture, Not All Lytic Bone Lesions are Cancer: A Case-Based Review

Introduction. Due to the early diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism the musculoskeletal manifestations of this disease are becoming less frequent. When this disease manifests secondary to a giant adenoma, it presents with more aggressive symptoms and can have important repercussions such as the hungry bone syndrome after parathyroidectomy. There are few reported cases of hyperparathyroidism secondary to a giant adenoma in the literature, as the presence of a brown tumor is often misinterpreted as a metastatic lesion from an unknown primary tumor. Methods. We describe a case and performed a literature review to identify all case reports. A literature search was carried out on PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE bibliographic databases. All available studies from May 2009 to May 2021 were included. Data were tabulated, and outcomes were cumulatively analyzed. Results. Twenty-four cases of primary hyperparathyroidism due to giant adenoma have been described; the majority were women, with a mean age of 52 years. They presented with heterogeneous symptoms such as palpable nodules (45%), bone pain (33%), brown tumor (12.5%), asymptomatic (12.5%), metabolic profile with a mean calcemia of 13.8 mg/dL, PTH 1109 ng/L, and mean tumor weight of 47.24 g. Conclusion. Primary hyperparathyroidism due to giant adenoma increases the risk of developing potentially serious postoperative complications such as hungry bone syndrome. This implies the need of implementing preventive measures comprising administration of intravenous zoledronic acid and early supplementation of oral calcium to prevent complications after resection.

Giant parathyroid tumours in primary hyperparathyroidism: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Giant parathyroid adenoma (GPA) can present with severe biochemical derangement similar to the clinical presentation of parathyroid carcinoma (PC). This study aims to present the current evidence on surgical management of GPAs in primary hyperparathyroidism.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature on GPAs was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Data on clinical, biochemical, preoperative diagnostic, and surgical methods were analysed.

RESULTS

Sixty-one eligible studies were included reporting on 65 GPAs in eutopic, ectopic mediastinal, and intrathyroidal locations (61.5%, 30.8%, and 7.7%, respectively). A palpable neck mass was present in 58% of GPAs. A total of 90% of patients had symptoms including fatigue, skeletal pain, pathological fracture, nausea, and abdominal pain. Ninety percent of patients had significant hypercalcaemia (mean 3.51 mmol/L; range: 2.59-5.74 mmol/L) and hyperparathyroidism with PTH levels on average 14 times above the upper limit of the normal reference. There was no correlation between the reported GPA size and PTH nor between GPA weight and PTH (p = 0.892 and p = 0.363, respectively). Twenty-four percent had a concurrent thyroidectomy for suspicious features, intrathyroidal location of GPA, or large goitre. Immunohistochemistry such as Ki-67, parafibromin, and galectin-3 was used in 18.5% of cases with equivocal histology. Ninety-five percent of GPAs were benign with 5% reported as atypical adenomas.

CONCLUSION

The reported data on GPAs are sparse and heterogeneous. In GPAs with suspicious features for malignancy, en bloc resection with concurrent thyroidectomy may be considered. In the presence of equivocal histological features, ancillary immunohistochemistry is advocated to differentiate GPAs from atypical adenomas and PCs.

Primary hyperparathyroidism-related giant parathyroid adenoma (Review)

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), an endocrine condition caused by a parathyroid adenoma (PTA) in 80-85% of the cases, has shifted in the modern era to a mildly symptomatic phenotype due to the prompt recognition of hypercalcemia and to a minimally invasive surgical approach which has a curative potential. Clinical complications of PHTH are either related to high calcium or parathyroid hormone [also parathormone (PTH)] or both, while the originating tumor typically is small, without local mass effects. A distinct entity is represented by giant PTA (GPTA) which is considered at a weight of more than 3 (3.5) grams. The present article is a review of the literature involving practical points of non-syndromic PHPT-related GPTA. Most authors agree that pre-operatory calcium and PTH are higher in GPTA vs. non-GPTA. However, the clinical presentation of PHPT may be less severe, probably due to local mass effects that bring the patient to an early medical evaluation. Age distribution, sex ratio, rate of successful pre-operatory location do not differ from non-giant PTA. Hypovitaminosis D is more frequent in PTA of higher dimensions. Post-operative hypocalcemia, but not recurrent/persistent PHPT, is expected, even hungry bone disease. A higher rate of atypia is described although the tumor is mostly benign. Unusual presentations such as cystic transformation, initial diagnosis during pregnancy or auto-infarction have been reported. The ectopic localization of PTA presented in almost 15% of all cases may also be found in GPTA. What are the exact cutoffs for defining GPTA is still an open issue.

Giant parathyroid adenoma: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Giant parathyroid adenoma is a rare type of parathyroid adenoma defined as weighing > 3.5 g. They present as primary hyperparathyroidism but with more elevated laboratory findings and more severe clinical presentations due to the larger tissue mass. This is the first reported case of giant parathyroid adenoma from the Middle East.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 52-year-old Indian woman presented with a palpable right-sided neck mass and generalized fatigue. Investigations revealed hypercalcemia with elevated parathyroid hormone and an asymptomatic kidney stone. Ultrasound showed a complex nodule with solid and cystic components, and Sestamibi nuclear scan confirmed a giant parathyroid adenoma. Focused surgical neck exploration was done and a giant parathyroid adenoma weighing 7.7 gm was excised.

CONCLUSIONS

Giant parathyroid adenoma is a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism and usually presents symptomatically with high calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. Giant parathyroid adenoma is diagnosed by imaging and laboratory studies. Management is typically surgical, aiming at complete resection. Patients usually recover with no long-term complications or recurrence.

Comparison of the perioperative outcomes in antero-superior mediastinal tumor resection performed by transcervical resection and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Background

It remains controversial that whether transcervical resection (TC) was associated with better outcomes than video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of antero-superior mediastinal tumors. We aimed to compare the safety and reliability between TC and VATS.

Methods

Between 2010 and 2012, 80 consecutive patients underwent antero-superior mediastinal tumor resection via TC (n=31) or VATS (n=49). Perioperative outcomes were compared. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed to control the potential confounders.

Results

A total of 41 men and 39 women with median age of 52.5 years were enrolled. No patient died during the perioperative course. After propensity matching, TC group was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (35.1±18.7 vs. 93.7±136.1 mL, P=0.034), less postoperative drainage (65.6±76.8 vs. 335.0±154.9 mL, P<0.001), shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (3.2±1.2 vs. 4.1±1.3 days, P=0.003) and less hospitalization expense (22,252.3±4,761.7 vs. 26,514.2±4,052.8 CNY, P=0.002) compared to VATS group. One patient with VATS was converted to open surgery due to intraoperative vessels damage. The postoperative complication was null in TC group while it was 6.1% (n=3) in VATS group (P=0.279), including 1 case of prolonged chest tube drainage and 2 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.

Conclusions

TC for antero-superior mediastinal tumors is a safe procedure with better perioperative outcomes compared to VATS.

A rare case of giant parathyroid adenoma presenting with recurrent episodes of pancreatitis

Parathyroid adenomas are usually small in size; (weighing 70 mg–1 g) those weighing more than 2–3 g are classified as giant parathyroid adenomas. Giant parathyroid adenomas are in fact rarely encountered among patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. They are believed to have distinct clinical and biochemical features related to specific genomic alterations. We chanced to manage a unique and possibly the first case of giant parathyroid adenoma (6 cm diameter and weighing 20 g) presenting with recurrent episodes of pancreatitis and discuss its surgical management with an added emphasis on the role of nuclear imaging in its preoperative localization. Our case demonstrates that clinicians should have a high index of suspicion of primary hyperparathyroidism in patients presenting with recurrent episodes of pancreatitis. Timely diagnosis, appropriate preoperative localization techniques, which would include a parathyroid scintigraphy and a focused surgical intervention are crucial to resolve complications and improve outcomes.