Parathyroidectomy - series

An incision is made in the neck just under the Adam's apple. The four parathyroid glands are located. For partial parathyroidectomy, three of the glands are removed, leaving one to help prevent hypoparathyroidism. For a total parathyroidectomy, all four glands are removed. The incision is then closed. In some cases, the surgeon will remove all four glands, and re-implant one gland in the forearm muscle of the patient, to provide residual parathyroid function and give easy access to the remaining gland after surgery, in case more parathyroid tissue needs to be removed.

Review Date: 11/10/2004
Reviewed By: Brendan T. Campbell, M.D., M.P.H., Department of Surgery, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.