Long-Term Skeletal Outcomes of Primary Hyperparathyroidism Patients After Treatment with Parathyroidectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of the study was to assess and define the association between parathyroidectomy (PTX) and long-term skeletal outcomes in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched up to June 31, 2017, without language restriction. Any study comparing skeletal outcomes [fracture risk or bone mineral density (BMD)] of PHPT patients after more than 12 months of PTX treatment versus non-PTX treatment was included. Pooled relative risks or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and weighted mean difference were calculated using random-effects models irrespective of statistical heterogeneity assessed by I2 statistic. Finally, 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs, n=584) and 10 cohort studies (CSs, n=12202) were included. CSs suggest PTX treatment versus non-PTX treatment is significantly associated with 36% reduction in the risk of fracture, with no heterogeneity, and an increase in the lumbar spine change by 0.55 WMD, with no heterogeneity. RCTs indicate PTX treatment versus non-PTX treatment is significantly associated with BMD change of 0.97 WMD at the lumbar spine with substantial heterogeneity, and 1.23 WMD at the femoral neck with no heterogeneity. The existing CSs indicate PTX-treatment versus non-PTX-treatment might reduce the risk of fracture in PHPT patients. The existing RCTs do not provide sufficient or precise evidence that PTX-treatment affects the fracture risk of PHPT patients, but offer data that subsets of patients who could potentially benefit from PTX-treatment can be identified.