The primary manifestation of primary hyperparathyroidism is an elevated calcium level. The degree of the elevation can be mild to severe. However, the symptoms do not always correlate with the level of the calcium in the blood. These symptoms can include kidney stones, fatigue, tiredness, decreased memory, body aches, loss of bone strength, and broken bones. Often these symtoms can be quite subtle.
Treatment usually involves the surgical removal of the parathyroid adenoma.
The surgery generally is relatively straight forward, involves a small neck incision, and a one night stay in the hospital. We are now offering this operation to most patients as outpatient surgery. Recent advances in the use of radioguided surgery allow many of these procedures to be done with just local anesthesia and some mild sedation.