Concurrent Graves' disease and primary hyperparathyroidism in the same patient is rare, probably accounts for hypercalcemia in no more than 1 percent of thyrotoxic patients. Hypercalcemia may be noted during the course of hyperthyroidism in as many as 22 percent of cases. The cause of hypercalcemia in a thyrotoxic patient might be due to the activation of osteoclastic bone resorption by the excess thyroid hormone, as the severity of hyperthyroidism correlates positively with osteoclastic activity in trabecular and cortical bone. In 1936, Noble JF et al reported the first case in the world. To our knowledge, only 49 such cases have been described in the literature until the year of 1989. No case has been reported again afterward. The occurrence of hypercalcemia in a patient with hyperthyroidism may present a challenging diagnostic problem. In this communication, we described the first case in mainland of China with hypercalcemia caused by concurrent hyperthyroidism and primary hyperparathyroidism, and the clinical and laboratory characteristics were studied before and after therapy with anti-thyroid medication.
Female ; Graves Disease ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; complications ; pathology ; Middle Aged

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare disease in children and is characterized by conspicuous skeletal and renal changes. A 12 year old male patient presented with symptoms of polydipsia, polyuria, general weakness, nausea, and vomiting which had begun 3 months earlier, and showed typical laboratory findings of primary hyperparathyroidism. Confirmatory diagnosis was made by elevated parathyroid hormone concentration in serum, technetium-thallium subtraction scan imaging method and histopathologic finding of chief cell hyperplasia. The laboratory findings revealed elevated levels of BUN, creatinine and decreased GFR. Kidney biopsy showed typical calcium deposits in tubules with marked tubulointerstitial infiltration. After subtotal parathyroidectomy, clinical findings improved remarkably.
Case Report ; Child ; Human ; Hypercalcemia/*etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism/*complications/pathology ; Hyperplasia ; Kidney/pathology ; Kidney Diseases/*etiology ; Male ; Parathyroid Glands/pathology

Adolescent ; Bone Diseases ; etiology ; Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder ; complications ; pathology ; Facial Bones ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; complications ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; complications ; pathology ; Syndrome

BACKGROUNDHyperparathyroidism (HPT) occurs at an early age and has a high disability rate. Unfortunately, confirmed diagnosis in most patients is done at a very late stage, when the patients have shown typical symptoms and signs, and when treatment does not produce any desirable effect. It has become urgent to find a method that would detect early bone diseases in HPT to obtain time for the ideal treatment. This study evaluated the accuracy of high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with spiral computed tomography (SCT) scan in detecting early bone diseases in HPT, through imaging techniques and histopathological examinations on an animal model of HPT.

METHODSEighty adult rabbits were randomly divided into two groups with forty in each. The control group was fed normal diet (Ca:P = 1:0.7); the experimental group was fed high phosphate diet (Ca:P = 1:7) for 3, 4, 5, or 6-month intervals to establish the animal model of HPT. The staging and imaging findings of the early bone diseases in HPT were determined by high field MRI and SCT scan at the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th month. Each rabbit was sacrificed after high field MRI and SCT scan, and the parathyroid and bones were removed for pathological examination to evaluate the accuracy of imaging diagnosis.

RESULTSParathyroid histopathological studies revealed hyperplasia, osteoporosis and early cortical bone resorption. The bone diseases in HPT displayed different levels of low signal intensity on T(1)WI and low to intermediate signal intensity on T(2)WI in bone of stage 0, I, II or III, but showed correspondingly absent, probable, osteoporotic and subperiosteal cortical resorption on SCT scan.

CONCLUSIONHigh field MRI combined with SCT scan not only detects early bone diseases in HPT, but also indicates staging, and might be a reliable method of studying early bone diseases in HPT.

Animals ; Bone Diseases ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Calcium ; blood ; Female ; Hyperparathyroidism ; complications ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Osteoporosis ; diagnosis ; Phosphorus ; blood ; Rabbits ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; methods

It has been reported that the common sites of brown tumors are the jaw, pelvis, ribs, femurs and clavicles. We report our experience in a case of brown tumor of the patella caused by primary hyperparathyroidism. An initial radiograph and CT showed an osteolytic lesion and MR images showed a mixed solid and multiloculated cystic tumor in the right patella. One month after the parathyroidectomy, rapid bone formation was observed on both radiographs and CT images.
Adult ; Bone Density ; Bone Neoplasms/*etiology/radiography/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/*complications/*surgery ; Parathyroidectomy ; Patella/*pathology/radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) syndrome includes varying combinations of endocrine and non-endocrine tumors. There are also a considerable number of atypical MEN1 syndrome. In this case, a 68-yr-old woman was referred to the Department of Endocrinology for hypercalcemia. Five years ago, she had diagnosed as primary hyperaldosteronism and now newly diagnosed as parathyroid hyperplasia with laboratory and pathologic findings. Hurthle-cell thyroid cancer was also resected during the parathyroid exploration and small meningioma was found on brain MRI. Her general condition has markedly improved and her adrenal mass and meningioma are being closely observed now. We could find the loss of heterozygosity of the MEN1 locus in parathyroid glands, suggesting a MEN1-related tumor, but not a germline mutation. Considering a variety of phenotypic expression and a limitation of current molecular analysis, periodic follow up will be needed in patients with a MEN1-like phenotype.
Aged ; Base Sequence ; Brain/radionuclide imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism/complications/*diagnosis ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningeal Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/radionuclide imaging ; Meningioma/complications/*diagnosis/radionuclide imaging ; Mutation ; Parathyroid Glands/pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Thyroid Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of parathyroid carcinoma.

METHODSThe clinical data of 9 cases of parathyroid carcinoma treated from January 1967 to December 2009 was analyzed retrospectively with the review of related Chinese literatures.

RESULTSParathyroid carcinoma accounted for 8.9% (8/90) of all patients with primary hyperparathyroidism in our hospital, and the other one case was transferred from another hospital. Of the patients, 8 cases were found with primary hyperparathyroidism. Primary surgery was carried out with small incision: 5 patients underwent en bloc resection, among which, 3 cases received central lymph node dissection; 2 patients received simple parathyroidectomy; one case underwent palliative tumor resection. The case from another hospital received subtotal thyroidectomy. Considering preoperative, intraoperative data and frozen sections pathology, all patients were diagnosed as parathyroid carcinoma. Nine patients were followed-up for 1 - 14 years, no recurrence occurred, and the patient received palliative resection died from carcinoma two years after the operation. In previous Chinese literatures and this group, there were total 146 patients reported as parathyroid carcinoma. Those patients were diagnosed through routine histopathology, accounted for 1.8% - 11.5% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma is established according to severe hypercalcemia, clinical features, subset B-ultrasound and Tc(99m)-sestamibi scanning, intraoperative finding of adherence to close structures and histopathology. The initial surgical procedure of choice is en bloc resection of the tumor by minimally invasive small incision, including adjacent structures and ipsilateral thyroidectomy. The prognosis is favorable after the operation.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Lymph Node Excision ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Parathyroidectomy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi

No abstract available.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; Biopsy ; Calcium/blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism/blood/diagnosis/*etiology/surgery ; Hyperplasia ; Parathyroid Glands/metabolism/*pathology/radionuclide imaging/surgery/ultrasonography ; Parathyroid Hormone/blood ; Parathyroid Neoplasms/blood/*complications/diagnosis/surgery ; Parathyroidectomy ; Treatment Outcome ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic characteristics of parathyroid carcinoma (PTC).

METHODSEleven cases of PTC encountered during the period from 1994 to 2012 were enrolled into the study. Forty cases of parathyroid adenoma (PA) were also retrieved for comparison. The clinical manifestations, laboratory results and pathologic features were analyzed, with literature review.

RESULTSThe main clinical manifestations of PTC included neck mass (11/11), hypercalcemia (11/11) and hyperparathyroidism (11/11). Most patients also had osteoporosis (10/11). In contrast, PA often manifested as hypercalcemia (40/40) and hyperparathyroidism (40/40). Histologic examination of PTC showed that the tumor cells contained clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm and separated by dense bands of fibrosis. The tumor mass was surrounded by thick fibrous capsule. Foci of capsular invasion and vascular permeation were identified at the tumor periphery in all cases. Cellular atypia was not conspicuous but mitotic figures and coagulative necrosis were easily identified. On the other hand, PA were composed of tumor cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm, forming glands, trabeculae or nests. Most of them (35/40) had intact fibrous capsule. Mitotic figures were rarely encountered and tumor necrosis was absent. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells in PTC were positive for CK19 (11/11), chromogranin A (9/11), synaptophysin (7/11) and parathyroid hormone (11/11). They were negative for thyroglobulin, TTF-1 and calcitonin. The Ki-67 index was less than 10% (range = 2% to 9%). In contrast, the tumor cells in PA were positive (40/40) for CK19, chromogranin A, synaptophysin and parathyroid hormone. They were negative for thyroglobulin, TTF-1 and calcitonin. The Ki-67 index was less than 3%. Follow up-data were available in 9 cases of PTC (duration of follow up = 11 months to 224 months) and 7 of the patients were still alive. Follow up of all PA cases showed no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONSPTC is a rare malignant endocrine tumor presenting as neck mass. Histologic features suggestive of malignant behavior include presence of coagulative tumor necrosis and capsular/vascular invasion. It needs to be distinguished from other entities such as parathyroid adenoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Carcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism ; etiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratin-19 ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; etiology ; Parathyroid Hormone ; metabolism ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

Primary hyperparathyroidism due to ectopic parathyroid adenomas can pose diagnostic and management challenges, especially when imaging studies have localised the lesions to different sites. We report a case of symptomatic hypercalcaemia due to a mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. Ultrasonography identified a nodule posterior to the right thyroid gland. However, computed tomography and technetium-99m sestamibi scintigraphy revealed an ectopic parathyroid adenoma located in the anterior mediastinum. The adenoma was successfully removed through a median sternotomy. However, postoperatively, the patient developed prolonged symptomatic hypocalcaemia, possibly due to suppression of the normal parathyroid gland function, although the presence of concomitant hungry bone syndrome was possible. The histopathology of the mediastinal mass was consistent with a parathyroid adenoma.
Calcium ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism ; diagnosis ; Hypocalcemia ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Glands ; pathology ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi ; pharmacology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography