Parathyroidectomy in Persistent Post-transplantation Hyperparathyroidism - Single-center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Hyperparathyroidism is a common complication in chronic kidney disease and might persist in up to 25% of patients after transplantation. In this setting, vitamin D analogues further aggravate persistent hypercalcemia and cinacalcet has not been approved for these patients, some of whom will require parathyroidectomy to correct post-transplantation hyperparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVES: In this single-center, retrospective study we aimed to analyze the long-term effect of parathyroidectomy on calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and its effect on allograft function in kidney transplantation patients submitted to parathyroidectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients underwent parathyroidectomy between January 2005 and January 2015; median age 54 years old; 8 (53.3%) were receiving cinacalcet at the time of surgery. Pre-parathyroidectomy median values of intact PTH, calcium, and phosphorus were, respectively, 262 pg/mL, 10.8 mg/dL, and 2.4 mg/dL. Surgery consisted of uniglandular parathyroidectomy in 5 (33.3%) patients, biglandular in 4 (26.7%), and subtotal in 6 (40%). There was no surgery-related mortality.

RESULTS: Compared with baseline, there was a decrease of PTH (262 pg/mL vs. 106 pg/mL, P = .001), calcium, and phosphorus levels (10.8 mg/dL vs. 10.4 mg/dL, P = .3; 2.4 vs. 2.9 mg/dL, P = .05) 1 year after surgery; with normalization of serum calcium at the end of follow-up (10.8 mg/dL vs. 9.4 mg/dL, P = .04). A decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate occurred 1 month post-surgery (62.7 mL/m vs. 49.7 mL/m, P = .006) but returned to baseline 1 year after surgery (62.7 mL/m vs. 60.8 mL/m, P = .73).

CONCLUSION: Parathyroidectomy appears to be a safe procedure and should be considered in kidney transplantation patients with persistent post-transplantation hyperparathyroidism. Although there was an acute estimated glomerular filtration rate decrease, we observed no long-term deterioration in allograft function.